Gamble With Fate
by twistedwonderland101
Summary: Seria Amagi; The Lost Demigod; Daughter of Hades was a female demigod who lived during the 1940s and died an untimely death during a quest against Medusa. Forced to leave behind friends and loved ones alike, all she wanted was to spend her afterlife in peace. But then some blue-eyed demigod decided it'd be a good idea to revive her by accident. How will her story end this time?
1. Prologue

**((AN: Well hello! Well would would you look at that? It's my first story here. Okay so basically if you are familiar with my dA, you'd know this story. For new readers; I hope you enjoy this story. It is closely related to the books and is my take on how the adventure would've looked like if they had a child of Hades with them from Book 3 to the last. This is a slash fic w/ an OC *multiple; mind you* involved; so if you have a problem against OCs in general, please leave and spare me of your usless griping. Either way, enjoy and feel free to hit that Review button. PLease? PRETTY PLEASE?!))**

_-A little guide to help you here-  
_"normal text" = talking  
_'italics' _= thoughts  
_italics (all words) _= Memory or dream sequence; like the ff. that you are about to read.  
_italics (one or few words) = _Emphasis/Sarcasm  
**bold **= Rage

**Gamble with Fate**

-Prologue: The Lost Demigod-

* * *

_-Camp Half-Blood, New York 1940-_

_ In the foggy city of New York City, the streets were crammed with a thousand plus citizens; all of which were gossiping about the recent announcement in the news, the start of the Second World War. Men looked forward to get the chance to protect their country, while the women worried about what will become of their husbands in the battlefield. But past the city's walls, hidden in the dense forests of New York was a relatively small camp that only a few chosen people knew about. This was Camp Half-Blood, a camp for demigods; children of the Greek gods came here for protection and to train to defend themselves._

_The camp was small but it housed nearly a hundred children, all of which were demigods. Each child was assigned to a certain cabin that represented their parental god, this only happens when their parent actually claims them. If they aren't claimed, they're sent to Hermes Cabin instead. So far the camp only had cabins dedicated to the Olympian gods; the gods didn't make cabins for the minor gods, saying that their children have a smaller chance of getting attacked by monsters compared to children born under an Olympian god. The only cabin in Camp Half-Blood that didn't belong to an Olympian god...was Hades cabin. It was still new, it was made just recently to house only one demigod; only one child of Hades._

_Its sole resident was a girl, who had just recently turned 15, named Seria Amagi. The female demigod was from a Japanese family; her mother dropped her off here when a few years back...for reasons she'd rather not think about. Seria was leaning against a tree, outside of camp borders (which isn't allowed supposedly), and stared out at the view of the city. The wind whipped her long black hair back, giving it that smoky effect...which is somewhat of a trait you get when your dad is Hades, God of the Underworld. Her dark grey eyes were narrowed as she looked like she was glaring down at the city, which in fact she was. The "mortals" down in the city were so naive to the danger that this war presents; they think they won't be involved...but she knew better. Since she was a child of Hades, she could already sense the death radiating from the very topic. A lot of people will die from this war, she knew that...and she didn't like it._

_Seria sighed, pulling away from the tree and tugging her grey winter jacket closer to her thin frame. Things just weren't going out well nowadays; not only was there a war going on, some of the campers have disappeared and no one has found them for days. "The Fates must really hate us right now..."_

_"I don't think they'd really cause this to happen just on a whim, Seria."_

_The girl gasped and whipped around, sliding two rings from her fingers and pressing the gem. Almost instantly, the rings morphed into two identical swords (a present from her father for her 15th birthday), The Gorgon's Eyes; swords with the eyes of a gorgon melded inside, giving the two swords the power to paralyze anyone who stares into the red eyes that were near the hilt of the swords. Seria faced the source of the voice with her weapons drawn...it was Chiron, the caretaker/camp director of Camp of Half-Blood._

_Seria let out a sigh of relief and relaxed, her swords returning back to their ring form since there was no danger present. "Chiron," she chuckled, "You should know better than to sneak up on me. You know I could've killed you just now." Like all swords that demigods use, The Gorgon's Eyes were made out of celestial bronze, a material that only harms monsters and other creatures (demigods included) but it cannot harm mortals._

_The centaur laughed as he ruffled Seria's hair. Chiron was a centaur, an immortal one; the gods made him immortal so that he could always watch over the demigods that came under his care. The top half of Chiron was human, a man with cream colored skin and long messy hair with a beard to match, while on the bottom...was a horse's body that half was brown and Seria suspected that Chiron's horse half might be a stallion. Chiron was like a father to Seria, though Seria recognized Hades as her father...Chiron has been with her more often than the god._

_"Did you need to tell me something, Chiron?" Seria knew he wouldn't seek her out unless he had something urgent to tell her. Judging by how Chiron's body tensed, she knew she hit the nail right on its head, "Come now...you practically raised me, Chiron. You should've expected that I'd figure out how to tell if you wanted to just talk to me or if there was something wrong. Now tell me."_

_Chiron sighed, shaking his head slowly, "You were always the observant on, Seria. Yes...there is something I need to speak to you about. But..." The centaur trailed off; a dark expression replacing his usual cheery demeanor._

_"Chiron?" This was starting to make Seria uneasy, "What's wrong?"_

_"I need you to go on a quest." Chiron handed Seria a map, "As you have noticed, some of the other campers have begun to disappear without a trace. Some of the nymphs and a few harpies have tracked down some of the possible sources of these disappearances. I need you to find the source and destroy it...and if you can, rescue the campers as well."_

_Seria grabbed the map and scanned its contents; if these were truly the possible locations of where the missing campers may have gone then this was her only chance of solving this problem. "Okay, I accept."_

_Chiron smiled bitterly, "I knew you would." He then handed her a backpack, "I already readied your travel pack. It's well-stocked with money, the regular kind and golden drachmas, some food and ambrosia and nectar."_

_Seria took her backpack and smiled at Chiron, "No need to worry about me, Chiron; I'll be fine. I always return from my quests." She then walked away from the camp director and towards Argus, the "security" of the camp, and tells him that she'll be going on a quest._

_Chiron watched as the sole child of the God of the Underworld disappears from view; he was reluctant to give her the quest for he had a bad premonition of what will happen to her. But Seria had always returned from her quests, he really shouldn't worry about her so much..._

_Little did he know...that that would be the last time he saw her._

* * *

_The missing campers were found...but their rescuer was lost. One of the rescued campers reported to Chiron what had happened to Seria. The brave demigod had discovered that all the campers had been captured by Medusa, one of the gorgons that Perseus (The well-known Greek demigod hero) had faced off and slain, and set off to slay her once more. Seria had released the few campers that had survived Medusa's torment and ordered them to return to camp, with the help of a Pegasus that Seria had rescued in her journey. Then she ran into Medusa's lair...and never returned._

_Chiron mourned the loss of one of his campers and reported her death to Olympus. Hades was angry...but he knew his child would be with him in the end; still, Seria had become a legend in Camp Half-Blood. Her story would be told often during the campfire gatherings and its title was, "The Lost Demigod"._


	2. The Girl in Stone

**A/N:  
**Okay, this is where the story officially kicks off. Fair warning; Luke may be a tad *cough*a lot *cough* OoC, but I hope that it's not..._that_ bad. Nonetheless I appreciate the review from **I am Katie Daughter of Demeter**. To answer her review (since PM isn't availible to me just yet); I'd LOVE to have you as my Beta reader. :D Thank you and I'm thankful that my..."okay-ish" English is appropriate. So yeah; more reviews please and let's get on with the story. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series, it belongs to Rick Riordan. If I did own it...I'd make certain changes, if you know what I mean. ;) *Just KIDDING*

Warning: I rated this T due to mild language. Nothing really "steamy" or "violent" happens in this story but it's really the language that I'm very paranoid about. Hence the rating. Enjoy!

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-The Sea of Monsters, Polyphemus' Island; Bermuda Triangle-

"Dammit! To think they were so close to actually getting the fleece..." A boy with blonde hair and bright blue eyes huffed and puffed; he had been running quite a few miles now. In the boy's hands was a giant mass of gold that glowed brightly in the sun and resembled very much like a giant roll of wool; this was The Golden Fleece, an item of legend that is supposedly capable of healing any kind of ailment and to allow life to flourish just about anywhere. The boy holding this legendary item was none other than Luke Castellan, son of Hermes and former-camper of Camp Half-Blood. Luke had been running away from Percy and Annabeth, two demigods that were once his friends; very much like Luke, Percy and his rag-tag group came to the island to retrieve the Golden Fleece in order to heal the oak tree that usually protected the camp's borders (this tree was also once a friend of Luke's, a girl named Thalia Grace...but that was a story he'd rather not tell) only Luke needed the fleece to speed up Kronos' regeneration.

Tired from running, Luke leaned against a vine covered stone wall...only to fall right through. The former Camp Half-Blood camper let out an undignified scream as he fell right through the hole that was being hidden by the vines and landed back first onto the cold, hard, unforgiving ground. "Ow...dang, today's just not my day." Luke winced, slowly getting up and rubbed his now sore back.

Luke threw The Golden Fleece over his shoulder, ignoring its weight, and looked at his current surroundings. The "stone wall" was actually a hidden cave entrance; the cave's walls were cracked and aged and both the walls and floor of the cave were damp, no doubt it's been around for a long time. It actually looked like an ordinary cave if it weren't for the rows of torches lit against the cave walls.

"Well, this is weird." Luke smirked, "Bet Percy won't be able to find this place. I guess it wouldn't hurt to explore." '_Maybe I can even find some treasure for myself!'_ Despite his change in alliance from Camp Half-Blood to Kronos, Luke's urges to find/steal treasure and valuables were still quite active; this showed that Luke was indeed a child of Hermes, Messenger of The Gods and the God of Thieves.

Taking one of the torches from the wall, Luke ventured deeper into the cave. The deeper he went, the more oddities began to show...and the cave's mysterious atmosphere quickly changed to that of a horror movie. Skeletons, _human_ skeletons were littered across the stone halls; all of them were a dark shade of brown and some were either cracked or had completely shattered over the years they had been in the cave. '_Obviously whatever or whoever used to live in this cave wasn't so friendly to mortals,'_ mused the blonde demigod, then he caught sight of one skeleton holding a sword made out of celestial bronze, '_or demigods. Damn.'_ Luke hoped that whatever used to live in the cave was already long gone.

Eventually the tight stone caverns lead to a clearing, a lush field filled with flowers pretty much in every color that can come to Luke's mind. The elder teenager allowed himself to relax, just this once. The view was fantastic...and beautiful, it almost made Luke miss being at camp...almost. He wasn't going to lie; living in Camp Half-Blood held his happiest memories in his life...but even those memories weren't strong enough to prevent Luke from seeing things Kronos' way. But still, even someone as stubborn as he was, Luke still felt some guilt for poisoning Thalia's tree; after all, Thalia was his best friend but some things have to be sacrificed for Kronos' plan to continue on.

It was then did Luke notice a huge mass of gray in the corner of his eye. "Now what could that be?" In such a green, colorful environment, a dull color like gray would stick out like a sore thumb.

Luke approached a giant bush that seemed to be concealing the gray mass and sliced it out of his way with his sword, Backbiter. The sandy blonde boy let out a gasp when he saw what the gray mass was; it was a statue, not just any statue though. It was a statue of a fierce looking girl, poised in battle stance. Though it was just stone, the statue's appearance was extremely realistic. Luke could practically feel the anger radiating from the statue.

Stepping closer to stone-made statue, Luke began to notice how detailed the statue really was. The girl definitely looked angry...but she was also beautiful in a way Luke really couldn't describe. Her hair looked like it was being blown back by a violent gust of wind and her position looked like she was lunging at someone...or something. Luke then took notice of the two swords that the statue was holding; of course the swords were stone as well...but they just...intimidated Luke, and he didn't know why. The swords were just as detailed as the girl, the hilt of the blades had scale-like carvings and on the butt of the sword were round orbs that were probably made to look like gems. What made the swords so intimidating was that near the section where the blade and the hilt meet were eyes, serpent eyes to be exact.

"This statue..." Luke got closer, he was pretty much face to face with the statue now, "It's too real." He remembered something that he had read in a book once back in his camper days about cases like this. _"If a statue looks almost too real to be an actual statue, this could be a sign that it isn't a statue at all. The statue might actually be a victim of Medusa's power of encasing people in stone."_

"Oh gods," It finally clicked, "This statue isn't a statue...it's a demigod!" Luke was almost sent into a panic but he remembered that there was no way Medusa could still be living in the area. There was a huge Cyclops living in the island, and that Cyclops had meat eating sheep for Pete's sake!

"Wait..." An idea struck Luke like lightning (pun totally not intended). He looked down at the Golden Fleece that was just hanging around on his shoulder; the Golden Fleece was said to be capable of healing just about any ailment and injury, does getting _stoned_ by Medusa count? Well, Luke was about to find out.

The boy gently placed the fleece around the girl's outstretched arms and took a few steps back, watching...waiting for a reaction. In a matter of seconds, the fleece began to glow and ever so slowly, the stone-gray color began to fade revealing light cream colored skin, then black hair, clothes, and finally a pair of the most brilliant shade of gray eyes that Luke had ever seen. Once the stone-like encasing had faded from the girl's body, she instantly collapsed onto the ground; her swords landing with a light thud on the grass covered ground.

"Hey!" Luke quickly grabbed her arm and gently lay her down on the ground, "You...you okay?" Luke completely forgot his mission to bring the Golden Fleece to Kronos when he saw the girl; he wouldn't say it out loud but...she was more beautiful in person compared to her statue version. The mysterious girl had a light skin tone that resembled a lighter color of cream and her hair was pitch black and long, creating long black threads that spread along the green ground like a spider's web. The girl was adorned in clothing that Luke often saw in old 1940 pictures; a dark grey military-like jacket, a black tank top (or at least Luke _thinks_ it's a tank top) showing from underneath, camouflage pants and a pair of chocolate brown military boots. Judging by her facial structure, Luke assumed the girl must be of Asian lineage.

"Hey, c'mon...wake up." The sandy blonde gently shook the girl's shoulder, only to receive no response whatsoever. With a sigh, Luke looked over at the girl's swords; they were just laying there on the ground. Luke resisted the urge to snatch the swords and run but instead, he picked up the weapons and placed them near the unconscious girl. Then he saw something he really didn't expect; the swords began to shrink...until they turned into rings. "Well, would you look at that? Combat jewelry."

Luke didn't know why, but he continued to linger near the girl's side; the Golden Fleece still around her, just in case she might actually need more healing. The son of Hermes' mind once again began to wander; the sudden appearance of this girl encased in stone plus the fact that the cave may have belonged to Medusa seemed familiar to him. Then he remembered the story that was always told during the campfire gatherings, a story that was often told to influence young demigods to be brave and courageous even at the face of death; The Lost Demigod.

He remembered the story almost as vividly as he remembers his memories of the "good ol' days". It was a story that Chiron always told, it was centered on a young female demigod, a daughter of Hades, who had sacrificed her life to rescue a great number of campers. Luke was aware that the story was actually based off a true event in Camp Half-Blood history and that the girl's name was...Seria Amagi.

Luke frantically looked down at the unconscious girl next to him, "No way! It can't be..." He was at a loss for words; he had just rescued the demigod that presumably died 70 years ago. "Oh my gods..." He had just thought that a daughter of **HADES** was beautiful!

With all the commotion Luke was making, the young female demigod groaned as she began to regain consciousness...just a bit. Luke tensed when he felt her hand clutch his own in a weak little grip and felt all the blood rush to his face. The girl opened her eyes revealing the same gray (almost black) colored eyes that pretty much took Luke's breathe away, and she looked at Luke. The two demigods just stared at each other, not one moving a single inch. Luke was sure his face was pretty red while the girl just kept a perfect poker face. Then, "Who...who are you?"

"I...I-" Before Luke could properly introduce himself, an all-too-familiar voice rang out through the area.

"LUKE! GIVE US THE GOLDEN FLEECE!" Percy and the others had finally caught up with Luke, and they didn't look very happy.

Luke hesitated, his gaze switching back and forth between Percy and the girl, who he was pretty sure, was the _famed_ Seria Amagi. He knew he was going to regret this, but he yanked the Golden Fleece away from Seria and grabbed his sword, "You're gonna have to catch me, seaweed brain." Luke smirked when he saw Percy scowl when Luke had referred to him as "seaweed brain"; only Annabeth was allowed to call him that.

Immediately, Luke ran off...but not before shooting an almost apologetic look at the girl he had rescued. Percy chased after Luke but Annabeth grabbed his arm, stopping the son of Poseidon in his tracks, "Hey! Annabeth, what are you doing?! Luke's going to get away with the fleece if we don't catch up with him now!"

Annabeth frowned, "Percy..." she nodded in the direction of the recently _unstoned_ demigod that was now swaying back and forth, looking quite sick."We need to help her too. She's like us."

Percy looked at Seria and sighed, "You handle her. Grover, Clarisse and I will go after Luke." Then he was gone, taking the satyr and violent red-head girl with him.

Seria, however, paid no attention to the other people who had showed up. She was too busy staring in the direction where her savior ran off to. When she had suddenly awoken in this strange area, the first thing that greeted her was a pair of bright blue eyes and a handsome face. The Japanese girl felt her head ache and noticed how her vision began to darken once more. Before she lost consciousness once again, Seria muttered the name of her savior...her hero, "Luke..." Then she was surrounded by blissful darkness once more.

* * *

YAAAY~ She's back and slightly confused. :D Once again, I apologize for the absolute cliche-ness of this chapter and for Luke's attitude. I was...not exactly in the right sense of mind when I decided to write this chapter, but I hope...that...it's not a _real_ problem; right? ^^" Aaaanywho~ please review my lovelies and let me know what you think and if there's something that you want me to improve on. I'd also appreciate some advice and what you think of Seria (I pray to goodness that she isn't very...Mary-Sue *It's difficult to avoid that stage when 50%+ of the Percy Jackson characters are Sues and Stus in their own way. No offense...but you have to admit it does happen sometimes). Until next time~ Arriverderci, mi bellas.


	3. Coming Home

**A/N:** Hello, lovelies! I have returned with another chapter to the story! :D This particular chapter is favorite of mine because I just enjoyed typing out Seria's reactions to the modern world. I hope you like it too. Now to respond to another review from **I am Katie Daughter of Demeter**.

To my wonderful Beta reader: I'm sorry for using curse words, I didn't know it would 'cause a hinderence to the story ;A; SO I'll make sure to watch my language from now on. Thank you for the praise and thanks for agreeing to watch over my grammar and how the story goes on from here. Love you lots! :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians; it belongs to Rick Riordan. This is just a fanfiction; written for the amusement of others. :D

Now that's done; let's get on with the story! Please leave me a review when you finish; it means a lot to hear some feedback from the readers. :)

* * *

The last thing Seria ever remembered before she was turned to stone by Medusa was the cold sensation that enveloped her as her life was sucked out and the horrible feeling of her skin and body hardening; flesh turning into stone is **not** a nice event to experience. After her vision went black, Seria remembered standing in a dark, misty area with a river of dull green; she had been sent to the Underworld. Everything from there was pretty nice for her, she enjoyed being in the Underworld and her father, Hades, respected her brave sacrifice and allowed his daughter to live her afterlife in Elysium, the Land of Heroes; just like its title states, Elysium was the closest thing to heaven for Seria. It was where all the _heroes_ and _good people_ go when they die and to be frank, there just isn't a good enough word in human language to even describe the area. The closest thing to an accurate description was simply, heaven.

Then she _woke up_ and met the bluest pair of eyes that she had ever seen; bluer than Apollo's and she should know, she was friends with the God of the Sun. But when she woke up this time, she no longer met with the same blue eyes...instead she was staring at a pair of sea green ones.

"Oh hey! Sleeping Beauty's awake!" chimed the boy, flashing Seria a _friendly_ grin. What Seria did next was something he didn't expect; the young girl whipped out the ring from her left and it instantly morphed into one of her swords (which were called The Gorgon's Eyes, a present from her father in case you've forgotten) and pointed it straight at the boy.

"Oh gosh! Percy!" yelped a dark-skinned boy as he backed up against...a cab door?

Seria slowly took in her new surroundings; she was now inside a cab, not that god awful island (Thank goodness). Besides herself there were three other people in the vehicle; a boy with dark brown hair, sea-green eyes and was currently backed up against his seat in attempt to avoid getting his head sliced off and whose name was apparently Percy, a girl with blonde hair and silver eyes and simply radiated with wisdom and knowledge despite her youth (she was currently glaring daggers at Seria and was slowly inching towards her dagger), and sitting next to "Percy" was a satyr with copper colored skin and curly black hair and a goatee to match (pun not intended).

"Who are you?! W-where am I?! Where are you taking me?" hissed the daughter of Hades, pressing her sword's blade closer to Percy's neck, "Tell me now, _pretty boy_. Or else I'll behead you on the spot."

The boy narrowed his eyes, "Calm down would you? We're on your side." Seria still refused to put down her sword, signaling that she'd still need more convincing, "I'm Percy Jackson and this," he points to the girl next to him, "is Annabeth Chase. We're both demigods, like you. So no need to get all worked up, okay?"

Narrowing her dark gray eyes, Seria cautiously and slowly withdrew her blade, allowing it to return to its ring form. "I'm Grover Underwood, by the way! In case...you wanted to know." murmured the satyr, a little peeved that his friends forgot to introduce him.

Seria stared outside the car's window; the passing blurs were green and brown, enough evidence for her to tell that they were in a forest area. She glared daggers at the trio sitting next to her, "You have still yet to answer by other two questions: Where am I? And more importantly, WHERE are you taking me?"

"For the first question, you're in New York City; the forest area just outside of the city to be exact," The one who answered Seria's question was none other than, Annabeth, "and for the second one; shouldn't you already know the answer by now?"

"Camp Half-Blood..." Seria murmured her eyes wide with realization. It's been so long since she had last stepped into her home. How long has she been...dead? Is Chiron still there? Are...are her friends even still there? Shaking that negative thought out of her head, Seria looked at Annabeth and grimaced, "You're a child of Athena aren't you?"

The blonde perked up at the immediate recognition, "Oh, you figured that out already? How'd you know?"

"All of her kids are nothing but smartasses."

A sudden silence fell over the group of demigods (plus the satyr) until...an eerie chorus of cackles erupted over in the driver's seat; startling everyone out of their shocked stupor. "Good one, my lady!" said one of the scratchy voices.

Seria rose up slightly from her slouched position in the car, she recognized those voices. She constantly heard the same voices bickering nearly every waking moment back in the Underworld. "Anger? Tempest? Wasp? You're...you're driving a cab?"

"Taxi is the more modern term." screeched Wasp, who then violently yelled, "WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE, YOU OL' BAT!"

"Well, maybe you haven't noticed but...I CAN'T SEE WITHOUT THE EYE!" yelled Tempest.

"Modern? What are you-" Seria didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence as the taxi came to a sudden stop; throwing not only Seria, but Percy, Annabeth, and Grover out of their seats and into the window pane that separated the passenger seats from the driver's. "Argh...I...I can see your driving skills...haven't changed at all." Seria was now pressed uncomfortably against the metal pane with the weight of both Percy and Grover on her.

"Of course we haven't changed!" cackled Anger, the single tooth dangling from her old, cracked lips, "We haven't changed one bit for the last thousand years~!"

"Oh by the way, mistress," cooed Tempest, looking down at the group of entangled demigods, "Your father had quite a scare when your spirit disappeared so suddenly from Elysium. Be a dear and make sure to Iris message him, okay? Wouldn't want him to cause Armageddon, do we~?" Then without warning, the doors to the passenger seats flew open; literally flinging the demigods and satyr right out of the taxi. Then the smoky vehicle zipped away, a trail of black smoke was the only thing that showed that the Gray Sisters has been there.

Percy was the first to recover from being flung out of the taxi. When he got back up on his feet, he looked at Seria with an odd look, "H-how do the Gray Sisters even know you? And why did they call you _my lady_ and _mistress_?"

"And what did they mean by, _'Your had a quite a scare when your spirit disappeared so suddenly from Elysium'_?" piped up the satyr, who was currently trying to get rid of a kink in his neck from the _lovely joy ride_ from the Gray Sisters' Taxi.

"I thought it'd piece together by now," Seria grunted, throwing herself back up from the ground, "I'm a child of Hades."

The trio fell silent, all three looking at Seria like she had sprung out extra heads like a Hydra. "You...you can't be serious." Percy was the first to break the awkward silence, "You can't seriously be a kid of Hades."

"Child..." Seria corrected, narrowing her eyes at Percy, "and what do you mean I can't be his child? I knew Hades was my dad for the past...seven years now."

Annabeth looked between Percy and Seria uneasily, she knew if Seria really was another child of the Big Three than this could get messy real quickly. So she did the most rational thing anyone could do in this current situation; she stepped right in front of the both of them with her hands raised in a "calm down" sort of position. "This is no time for fighting!"

"But she **can't** be a child of one of The Big Three, Annabeth." argued Percy, glaring at the blonde girl in front of him, "You know their oath."

"Which your father had broken." Annabeth retorted, satisfied when Percy backed down immediately, "Despite their oath, Poseidon had a child once more; you. So you really have no say in this, Percy."

That was when Seria stared at Percy with wide eyes, "Wait, your dad's Poseidon?"

"Yeah," Percy stuck out his hand for Seria to shake, "Listen...I know we got off on the wrong foot and all but, let's make bygones be bygones. I'm Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon."

Staring down at Percy's hand, Seria...hesitantly grabbed Percy's hand and shook it slowly. She was a little uneasy with this sudden act of friendliness, especially with a boy. Most of the boys back in Camp Half-Blood were extremely rude to her, pretty much because of her race and paternal god; well...at least they were the last time she was in the camp. "Nice to meet you, Percy. I'm Seria Amagi, Daughter of Hades. Oh and..." Seria smiled shyly, "sorry about that threat earlier with the sword."

"Nah, it's okay. I've been through worse." Both demigods chuckled; they agreed on that subject. Being the children of The Big Three often lead to more constant monster attacks on them, but that also meant more practice with their fighting skills.

"Hate to break this, Big Three Bonding Time," snapped the blonde know-it-all, "but we still need to get into the camp and tell Chiron about this. And of course, check if the Golden Fleece really did work."

"Chiron?" Seria's smile widened considerably, "Chiron's still here?"

"Well," Grover chuckled nervously, "More like, he just came here. We just proved to the gods at Olympus that Chiron was innocent of poisoning Thalia's tree, aka the tree that protects the boundaries of the camp and that it was someone else."

"But let's let Chiron explain everything to you." said Annabeth, she grabbed Seria's hand and dragged her into the camp, "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Seria stared blankly at the camp grounds before her; it looked like the camp just went through hell and back again. Some of the cabins were in shambles and a few demigods (no doubt children of Hephaestus) were busy repairing said cabins, while others simply just had a few holes blown through the walls. The area where they usually hold their camp bonfires was totally destroyed; wood and stone that originally made up the section where they lit up the fire was scattered everywhere along the camp. Plus, the camp just reeked with death and sickness; it made Seria's skin crawl.

"What in Tartarus' name happened to the camp?"

"Nothing really, just a bunch of monsters and other beasts breaking through the weakened boundaries and basically did _quite_ a number on this place."

Seria stiffens, another familiar voice, but she wasn't alone here. Both Annabeth and Grover tensed up like statues and stared up at the speaker with wide eyes and open mouths. Slowly, Seria turned around and faced the speaker.

It was Apollo, in all his glory. The sun god smiled down at Seria, "Well, look who came back from the dead! Good to see you live and breathing, Miss Amagi. You know, you should've PMed me or something; I would've set up a whole party for your re...re-arrival!" Apollo still looked the same way he did the last time Seria saw him; he still had that perfect surfer's tan, same sky blue eyes that shone with radiance, and the same messy mop of blonde sun streaked hair. The only difference...was new style choice.

"Apollo..." Seria tried to sound serious but the grin on her face ruined the effect, "What in the name of Zeus are you wearing?"

The sun god was wearing his favorite brown leather jacket, red t-shirt with the words "**CAMP HALF-BLOOD**" printed out in bold, capital letters, a pair of jeans and red converse. And of course, placed atop his head were his favorite pair of sunglasses.

"Um, normal clothes." stated Apollo, ruffling Seria's messy black strands of hair, "A lot of things changed since you've been...asleep."

"What?" Seria was now worried; Apollo is making it sound like she's been out for an extreme amount of time. Sure, she had just come back from the dead but she was pretty dang sure that the world probably was still the same. The only difference so far was that Camp Half-Blood was a lot bigger now.

Apollo shook his head, backing off from the subject, "Nope, not gonna be the one to tell you. Better if you ask Chiron, I know how much you trust that old coot. So I think it'd be better if you ask him."

Seria nodded her head and looked around the camp; it definitely was much bigger now. "Um...where do you think Chiron would be?"

Apollo grinned, "Still remember the location of the Big House?"

"Of course, I do!"

"It's still in the same spot, I'm pretty sure you'll know where to go." Then the sun god gave Seria a slight pat on the head before walking away.

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover continued to stare at Apollo until he was out of view. Apparently this was their first time to even talk to the God of the Sun, Medicine, and Music and they were still star struck, or _sun struck_ as Seria puts it.

Seeing as how the three of them weren't going to be moving anytime soon, Seria walked away from them and began to walk in the direction that she hopes would lead her to The Big House. On her way there, she made sure to look at the damage done to the camp and of course, the cabins. All thirteen cabins were still there, some looked different now like how the Demeter cabin seems to look more like a greenhouse than an actual place for people to sleep. But currently, most of them looked worse for wear...then she paused by the Hades cabin; Cabin Thirteen.

It was still the same, though a bit run down. The cabin was painted black with a skull crest on the center of the roof. The old wrought iron torches were still hanging outside the cabin; she still remembers how they always emitted a flame whenever night fell. Seria looked upon her old _"home"_ with melancholy; the memories she had here were priceless and she was quite aware that none of her old camp buddies were still here. _'I must've been dead a lot longer than I thought.' _Before she continued down the path to The Big House, she lightly traced an inscription that she had written on one of the cabin's columns a few days before she had taken up that dreaded quest.

**_Μην_**_ ξεχνάτε ποτέ__τις μέρες μας__πέρασε__στο στρατόπεδο__εδώ__ήμισυ__-__αίμα__.  
__-S.A._

"Mi̱n xechnáte poté tis méres mas pérase sto stratópedo edó̱ í̱misy-aíma." murmured the Japanese girl with a slight smile on her face. It was Ancient Greek for, "Never forget our days spent here in Camp Half-Blood."

She had carved this with her friends, one boy and one girl. They were also children of The Big Three; the boy was Mark Abhel, Son of Zeus, and the girl was Natalia Arkson, Daughter of Poseidon. They were closer than friends, they were like a family. Seria wondered where they are at the moment, what their lives are like...and how they must've reacted to when they announced her death.

Stepping away from her cabin, she continued to walk towards The Big House with a heavy heart.

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**_Translations!_**

**_Μην_**_ ξεχνάτε ποτέ__τις μέρες μας__πέρασε__στο στρατόπεδο__εδώ__ήμισυ__-__αίμα__. = "Never forget the days we spent here in Camp Half-Blood."_ (In case you don't know; I used Google Translate for that line. ^^")


	4. Time to Face the Truth

**A/N:** Hello, beautiful peoples! Twisted here with another chapter of Gamble with Fate. This one is another favorite of mine and I hope you like it just as much as I enjoyed typing it up for you. I don't really have much to say on the subject, other than; I hope you enjoy reading this and please hit the review button and share with me your thoughts on the story so far. Some feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Percy Jackson series or its characters; they all belong to its author, Rick Riordan. If I had my way, *spoiler* Luke would still be alive.

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The Big House is basically what the title implies; it was just a big house located near the edge of camp, the house acted as both an infirmary, a meeting room for the Head campers from each of the thirteen cabins, Chiron's office, and many other things. More importantly, The Big House was where the mummified remains of the Oracle of Delphi was located; whenever a camper was to receive an important quest, they were sent to the attic to hear the prophecy on that quest from the oracle herself.

Campers that had the chance to see the oracle rarely ever spoke about their experience; Seria understood why. You see, hearing a prophecy from a mummy is not a very comfortable experience. Some campers became scarred for life after seeing the oracle; thus, making all the other campers reluctant to even go up to the attic in The Big House.

Seria looked up at the now baby blue house, the last time she saw this place it had been painted red. _'I guess Chiron really decided to repaint the place...'_ A frown graced her pale features at the thought; she distinctly remembered promising Chiron that she'd help him repaint The Big House, but seeing as she'd "died" during her quest...the promise became null-and-void.

The young demigod approached the door of the building, slowly turning the knob, opening the door ever so slowly. She was hesitant to go inside, for Pete's sake; she's been dead for who knows how long! If anyone else had been in her position, they'd also be quite scared to enter the building. Gathering up her wits, Seria finally stepped inside The Big House...and was greeted by the sight of various campers running to and fro through the halls. Apparently the infirmary was quite busy nowadays; a lot of campers have been injured during the time-span of the boarders being weakened.

"Oh, sorry," Seria apologized as she accidentally bumped into one of the campers working in the infirmary, "I didn't mean to get in your way."

"Nah, it's okay." said the camper; it was a boy with shaggy blonde hair and bright blue eyes that greatly resembled that of Apollo's. Judging from the bow and arrows that the male was carrying around on his back, Seria could tell he was one of Apollo's children. "You must be new here," he chirped, smiling down at Seria, "I'm Lee Fletcher, head of Apollo Cabin. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Seria returned the smile; she was glad that some of the campers still had manners, "I'm Seria Amagi...and...Uh, I'm not really new here. You could say I'm a..._'returning'_ camper."

Lee nodded his head, "Oooh! I get it; you must've been away on some quest. Well that's okay; welcome back to camp then, Seria." He then pointed to a door a few steps away from the entrance to the infirmary, "If you're looking for Chiron, he's in his office. But I should warn you, Mr. D's in there at the moment."

Seria cocked her head to the side in confusion, "Mr. D? Who's that?" It seems that there were a few new arrivals in camp staff during the time she's been gone.

"Oh, Mr. D is just his _"stage"_ name while he's down here." chuckled the child of Apollo, "His real name is Dionysus. Yeah...the God of Wine and Theatre is stuck down here with us; hard to believe isn't it?"

Seria could only nod her head, quite surprised with this new information, "Why...why was Dionysus sent down here, may I ask?"

Only one word was given as her answer, "Punishment." Than the boy went back inside the infirmary, continuing to tend to the other wounded campers, leaving Seria to stand there with a surprised look on her face.

When Seria finally got out of her surprised stupor, she quickly made way towards Chiron's office. When she finally arrived in front of the door to the office, Seria could already feel the sense of nostalgia wash over her like a wave. Near the door to Chiron's office were trophies, old trophies from competitions like Capture the Flag and the Chariot Races. As she approached the trophy shelves, Seria spotted one particular picture; it was a picture of her team during the time that they'd won a match in Capture the Flag.

The edges of Seria's mouth lifted at the sight of the black and white picture; in the front row was a younger version of her, being lifted up into the air by her two friends Mark and Natalie. Everyone was smiling up at Seria, completely ignoring the presence of the cameraman, which was Chiron of course. In Seria's hands was the opposing team's flag, a look of triumph adorning her much younger face. At the bottom edge of the picture frame was a gold plaque that read, "Winning Team of the Annual Capture the Flag Competition. June 15th, 1935." Seria was only ten years old at the time that her team had won the competition.

"Going down memory lane, Seria?"

Jumping at the sudden voice, Seria put the picture back down and whirled around to face her speaker...Chiron. Seria almost did a double take when she saw his appearance; Chiron looked much older, despite being immortal. There were wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, his forehead was adorned with frown wrinkled as well. When Chiron looked at her, his eyes sparkled with happiness, recognition...sadness.

"Chiron..." Seria's eyes watered when she saw her father-figure; the demigod couldn't resist the urge to hug the centaur...so she did. She wrapped Chiron in a tight hold, burying her face into his leather armor as tears ran down her face, "I...I missed you so much."

"And I missed you, little one." Chiron patted Seria's wispy, black hair; even he was tearing up as he held the camper that he had thought was lost oh-so long ago. "A lot has changed, Seria. You've been dead for a long time."

That was when Seria pulled away from the embrace, looking up at her guardian with confusion, "Just how long have I been dead, Chiron? Even Apollo refuses to tell me."

"You've been dead...for seventy years." said Chiron, a grave look on his face.

It was like time had come to a halt; Seria could only stare up at Chiron with wide eyes, her mouth open slightly as if she was going to say something...but nothing came. Seventy years...seventy years, she'd been dead for _seventy_ years. Her friends...Mark...Natalie...they were probably already dead. Everyone she knew...they were all gone now, no doubt.

"Seria?" Chiron placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly, "Seria, I know this is a lot to take in, and I'm sorry, but you have to pull yourself together. You're home now, that's all that matters."

"Mark and Natalie..." Seria muttered; eyes dull of any emotion, "What became of them over the years? Are they still alive or-" She still clung to the false hope that her friends were still alive; if there still was a chance that they were, than Seria planned on visiting them and explaining herself, apologize to them even.

"I'm sorry," said Chiron, a sad look on his aged face, "But...they're dead, Seria. Mark, when he was old enough, he had joined the military and threw himself into that war. He died in battle...and Natalie, she died of old age. She lived a long, happy life, I assure you."

Seria smiled when Chiron spoke of Natalie; the girl was very friendly to everyone, even to Seria. The daughter of Poseidon had extended her hand of friendship to someone like her, a pariah...an outcast to both society and the camp. She was happy that Natalie was able to die peacefully. But Mark...she mourned his death silently. Mark had been a brave demigod; he took pride of being a son of Zeus, the King of the Gods...the God of Lightning. Though their first meeting had been rocky, they eventually won over each other's respect in a quick _"sparring"_ match. But truthfully, Seria wasn't surprised about his choice of death; it was both violent yet brave, very fitting for someone like Mark.

"I...I miss them already." Seria whispered, wiping away her tears with the sleeve of her jacket.

"I know you do, little one." Chiron sighed, "But...you do know what this means, it has been seventy years, Seria; things have changed drastically."

"I am quite aware of that!" snapped the mourning Asian, "But do not think that will make me fear the world. So what? Things have changed, advanced maybe. But its still Camp Half-Blood here, the outside world doesn't change anything."

Chiron laughed, "You haven't changed, I am glad." The centaur gently lead Seria out of The Big House, both had big smiles on their faces. "Now, I suppose you should get yourself reacquainted with the camp. We have a few new additions now. Have you seen the climbing wall?"

Seria smiled at the thought of new activities, "I'll make sure to check it out, Chiron."

Just as she was about to turn around and return back to Hades Cabin, she remembered that boy who had saved her. He had to be a demigod to have been on that island, so he's got to be here. "Chiron?"

"Yes, Seria? Anything you need?" The centaur was just about to return to his office when Seria called him once more.

"Is...Is there anyone in the camp named Luke?" her voice was laced with hope, that maybe her savior was here in camp; if he was, she was planning on thanking him...and maybe making a new friend.

Chiron's expression twisted to that of suspicion, "There are many demigods in the camp named Luke, Seria. Can you describe his appearance?"

"Well," Seria felt the blood rush straight to her face as she gave Chiron the description of the boy, "He has slightly tanned skin, light blonde hair...a-and the bluest eyes I've ever seen; bluer than the lake here in camp. Oh and," she made a slight gesture of a line across her left cheek, "He had a scar around here."

Chiron let out a deep sigh, a look of pity was what he gave Seria, "I'm sorry, Seria. The Luke you're looking for...is Luke Castellan, son of Hermes. He's no longer a camper here."

This alarmed Seria, "What?! Why?!"

"Because he's a traitor," Chiron growled, glaring at the ground (though Seria thought he was glaring at her), "Luke Castellan works for the titan, Kronos." With that said the centaur walked back into The Big House; leaving Seria to stand outside with a shocked look on her face.

Seria just stood there outside, frozen at what Chiron had just told her. Luke Castellan, the demigod that had saved her from her stone form, was a traitor; a servant of Kronos. She didn't understand why she was so torn up about this; why her heart felt like it had been stabbed a million times. But knowing that her savior was the enemy, made quite an impact on the usually stoic child of Hades. Then her silence was broken by the excited yell of a _certain_ satyr.

"WE HAVE TWO NEW CAMPERS COMING IN!"

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Things are getting more hectic in camp aren't they? Two new campers will be joining the series; who are they and what cabin they'll be in will be revealed in the next chapter. So please hit the review button and write up your comments for me to see. Until next time! Arriverderci, peoples!


	5. The New Kids

**A/N:** Wow! I'm on a roll here! So here's Ch.4; here we meet two new additions to the camp and trust me, their important in future chapters. I hope you like the character interaction. Don't forget to hit the review button and leave me some feedback; it's greatly appreciated!  
**DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own the Percy Jackson characters or its series in any way. It is rightfully owned by Rick Riordan, the wonderful scribe/author of Percy's adventures. This is a fanfiction based off the series and is only used and made for the entertainment of other PJaTO fans. Thank you :)

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A large crowd of excited campers formed around the camp entrance; most of the campers looked excited to meet the new campers, while others looked like they dreaded having more demigods in camp, especially Cabin 11 or Hermes Cabin. The large group of campers belonging to Cabin 11 were largely made up of unclaimed demigods; demigods whose parental god never claimed them or children of the minor gods. Overall, Hermes Cabin was pretty crowded as it is. When Seria had spotted the cabin for herself, she was awestruck by how many demigods were stuffed inside the old, worn down structure. She could easily understand why some of them dreaded the coming of the two new campers.

As Seria pushed through the large crowd of excited campers, she was able to catch hold of Apollo, who thankfully caught her and kept Seria balanced. "Thanks," Seria muttered, "Is it always like this whenever new campers arrive?"

Apollo just shrugged, he obviously didn't seem THAT interested on the subject of new campers, "I don't know. I just arrived here myself, so everything that's going on around here is new to me too."

Speaking of why Apollo was in Camp Half-Blood, Seria decided that now was the perfect chance to ask him about that. "Apollo, just why were you sent down to the camp? Are you on some kind of business-trip or something?"

The sun god's surfer-tanned skin flushed as he averted his sky blue eyes from Seria's dark grey ones. "Ah...well," he nervously rubbed the back of his neck, continuing to avoid looking Seria in the eye, "I...I was...punished by Dad, soooooo~" He shot Seria an embarrassed (yet, charming) grin, "I'm gonna be one of your camp directors for a while." Apollo flinched a little when Seria's grey eyes narrowed considerably, making them look more black than grey.

Apollo and Seria went **WAY** back in their friendship; the sun god had rescued Seria during one of her early quests when she was only seven. The young child of Hades originally had two other demigods with her on the quest but somehow they managed to get separated from the little girl; Seria, who was afraid of being left alone at the time, was found by Apollo in the forest, crying her tiny heart out. Not liking the sight of a child crying, Apollo helped Seria out by taking her back to Camp Half-Blood and staying with her until her two _"protectors"_ came back, only to receive a scolding from both Apollo and Chiron. Ever since then, Apollo and Seria began to see each other more often and eventually, a friendship bloomed between the two.

"What in the world did you do to get banished from Olympus, Apollo?"

"HEY! I didn't say I got banished," whined the sun god, a pout on his movie star-like face. "I just said I was sent down here for a while."

Seria rolled her eyes, getting quite annoyed with Apollo's childish whining, "Really? That basically means you got banished; now tell me what you did, you egotistical bimbo."

Usually insulting a god like that would result in you getting obliterated on the spot, but Seria was an exception in Apollo's book; though he did make it obvious that he was _"offended"_. "Okay, okay, fine! Since you want to know so badly," Apollo huffed, "I...slept in on the job and made the sun rise a few hours late."

The two friends stayed silent; Seria stared at Apollo with disbelief and the blonde god just returned the stare with a perfect poker face. "You...are very stupid, you know that?"

"Yes, I am aware of that," Apollo sighed. "But you love it. Admit it."

Seria quickly ignored that comment, "How long are you going to have to stay here, Apollo? A year or two?"

"Ten years, actually."

Apollo nearly laughed at Seria's priceless expression; both her eyes and mouth rounded off to a perfect trio of circles, mimicking the same expression that can be found in "The Scream" painting.

"You...you can't be serious." Seria muttered, "Your father is really strict, isn't he?"

Apollo could only laugh bitterly, "Yes, _very_ strict." If Seria didn't know better, she would've suspected Apollo of hating his father, Zeus. But she knew that wasn't the case; though his relationship with the King of The Gods was rocky, Zeus was still his father and Apollo still held some respect for the powerful man despite him being the sole reason why he can't see his own children more often.

Before their conversation could go any further, the group of camper's noise level rose up a few decibels as a sleek, white limo pulled up in front of the camp's entrance. Even Seria was awed by the appearance of the vehicle; being from the 1940's era, limos hadn't really been invented yet at the time so this was Seria's first time seeing an actual limo.

"Wow," whistled Apollo, smirking at the fancy car. "I should try turning my chariot into a limo one of these days."

Ignoring Apollo's self-absorbed comment, Seria stepped to the front of the large crowd; she was the only child of Hades, so that instantly makes her head counselor of Cabin Thirteen/Hades Cabin. Following her example were a few other counselors from the other twelve cabins; Percy (who represented the Poseidon Cabin), two boys who both shared the same elfish, mischievous looks that all the kids in Hermes Cabin share, the boy from the infirmary, Lee Fletcher (no doubt representing Apollo Cabin), and a few others. One that stuck out of the crowd was a girl who greatly resembled Seria's late friend, Mark. The girl had short, black hair, a pair of electric blue eyes, and was dressed head -to-toe in black; giving her quite an intimidating look. But yet, she seemed tired and weary; like she's been asleep for a long time.

When the limo finally came to a stop in front of the camp, all the campers awaited the exit of the new additions with bated breath. Millions of questions were running through everybody's heads; Were they two guys, two girls, or one of each? Were they going to get claimed or not? Are their parental gods a minor god or an Olympian? The demigods that were stuck in Hermes Cabin just wondered whether or not they'd have to find another empty bed for the new kids to stay in while they go unclaimed (or if they **REMAIN** unclaimed).

From the driver's seat exited a fancy looking man in a black business suit with hair that was covered in way too much hair gel, the man quickly walked towards the main doors of the limo and opened it, letting out its occupants. From the main compartment exited two girls; the first one had dark red hair that reached her shoulders and was slightly spiked at the ends, her eyes were a bright hazel that was close to looking like a shade of gold and sparkled with a sense of mischief. She was dressed in a black long sleeved dress with bright red lace on the side, what Seria assumed to be black leggings and wore a pair of black combat boots, giving her a powerful feel. The other girl was more feminine in nature; she had golden blonde locks that curled as they fell, reaching the middle of her back and sapphire blue eyes...but Seria could've sworn that they changed color for a few seconds. The blonde one wore a pure white party gown that blended with her fair skin perfectly, and on her feet were silver ballet flats.

All the boys in the camp (including Apollo but excluding Chiron and Mr. D) gawked at the new additions. Completely ignoring the looks they were receiving, the red-head looked around the camp with a puzzled look on her face. "This doesn't look like your dad's business party." she said, looking at the blonde next to her.

The blonde girl frowned, her sapphire orbs narrowing at the realization of where they really were. Both girls turned their heads to the satyr inside the limo and glared at him, "You liar," hissed the blonde. "To think...I thought you were _sort of_ cute!"

The satyr, who thankfully wasn't Grover, darted out of the limo with a can in his mouth, bleating like crazy. The two girls just stood there, their gaze locked onto the retreating satyr until he finally disappeared into the forest area. The blonde girl was the first to break their silence, "Did...did he just...bleat? You know...like a goat?"

The red-head just shrugged, "Hey, don't ask me that. I'm still wondering if this is all just some messed up dream."

That was when Seria decided to cut in on their conversation, "Do not worry," she gave them her most _"sincere"_ smile, "You aren't hallucinating, that boy actually did bleat...but the correct term is satyr."

Both girls stared at Seria and looked at her from top to bottom; seizing the demigod up, "Who the heck are you?"

"And what's a satyr?" chimed the red head.

Seria tensed at their lack of manners and possibly also of their lack of knowledge on what a satyr is. "I...am Seria Amagi, a demigod just like you. A satyr is a Greek mythological creature that is half-human and half-goat, but obviously satyrs are not a myth."

"Demi...god..." The blonde one repeated the word slowly, obviously still not believing a word that Seria said, "Listen, Sierra-"

"Seria," corrected the daughter of Hades; her patience was wearing thin. "I'd appreciate it if you remember my name _correctly_."

"Whatever," snapped the blonde; irritating the daughter of Hades further. "Seria, I don't know where the heck I am and I'm pretty sure you're just screwin' with us here. My father told me all kinds of stories about this type of stuff and let me just clarify, **they are just stories!**"

Seria's right eye twitched slightly as the blonde continued her rant. If there's one thing that she detested, it was a demigod with no manners.

"Maybe you should go to a shady area and cool down, kay?" The blonde smirked at the Japanese girl. "And once you're sane, we can try this agai-"

The blonde didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence; Seria cut her off by simply flicking her wrist causing all of the shadows around them collect around the blonde new girl and encase her in a pitch black orb of darkness. The crowd of campers fell silent as they watched the scene unfold, and amongst the crowd were Chiron, Apollo, and Mr. D/Dionysus, who were either shooting a disapproving look at the Asian demigod or looking upon the scene with amusement.

The red head stared at the black orb as it formed so quickly. Out of curiosity, she poked the mass and flinched back; it was so cold and it felt like she was touching moving air. From inside the orb, though she cannot be seen, the blonde demigod that had tested Seria's patience was screeching for her release.

The red head, though being the blonde's friend, just laughed at her friend's predicament. Even Seria couldn't help but chuckle as the blonde continued to release more angry screeches. Chiron sighed at the scene and approached Seria, tapping her shoulder lightly, "That...was uncalled for, little one."

"She was asking for it," snapped the Japanese girl. "She was very impolite; I just taught her what happens when you anger a child of Hades."

When Seria declared that she was a child of Hades, all of the campers switched their gaze to her; all eyes were wide, none looked that friendly...except for Percy, Annabeth, and Grover's. Even the girl with red hair stared at Seria, but that gaze focused more on Chiron.

"Oh crud," snickered the red head. "You weren't kidding about this demigod stuff." She smiled at Seria and stuck out her hand for a friendly handshake. "Well, I'm Freya Blake. Nice to meet you, Seria Amagi. Oh, and sorry for my friend Cleo's rudeness. It's one of her flaws that she needs to work on."

"Hey!" Screeched the blonde, Cleo, from the orb. "Freya, when you're done bein' all _'buddy-buddy'_ with the prissy chick, can you please...**LET ME OUT?!**"

Freya rolled her eyes and shot Seria an almost pleading look. Nodding her head, Seria moved her hand in a parting motion and almost instantly, all of the shadows that formed the orb began to part and return to their original places. When the last shadow was removed, Cleo fell to the ground and she looked as angry as ever. No, scratch that; she was livid.

"You little SNITCH!" Screeched the blonde, her sapphire eyes changing from blue to a dark, menacing red that sent a chill running down Seria's spine. When Cleo shouted like that, everyone took a few steps back; leaving some room for Cleo and Seria to _"battle it out"_. "You think you can just do THAT to ME and get away with it?!"

Seria just glared her down, unfazed by the girl's sudden word assault. "Well, given how you acted towards me...I had _every_ right to do that. Blame yourself."

Cleo got up from the ground and stomped towards Seria; they were so close that their foreheads were almost touching. The two girls glared at each other. "So that's how it'll be, huh?" she snarled, "Then why don't you just do me a favor? **GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES...AND APOLOGIZE!**"

Everyone watching the fight almost snickered at Cleo's _"favor"_ but the laughs quickly subsided when they noticed Seria's body tense...as if she was trying not to move. The usually stoic demigod was tensing up; her body was suddenly trying to move, as if it was really following Cleo's order. But no matter how hard she tried, Seria, against her own will, fell to her knees in front of a smirking Cleo.

"S...S..." Seria was shaking; what was going on? "Sorry." She spat out, glaring daggers at the blonde.

Cleo's smirk widened, "See? Was that hard? I forgive you."

The crowd was silent, then a murmur broke out amongst them; their gazes shifted to the top of Cleo's head. Some of them even began to point at what they were staring out; even the three camp directors were gawking.

Cleo noticed this and frowned, a new frustration taking over, "What are you all gawkin' at? What? Are you all surprised I took her down?"

"Uh, Cleo," Freya was looking up at the top of her friend's head. "You...might wanna look up and see for yourself."

And look up she did. Cleo turned her head upwards and gasped; there was a light pink symbol of a dove hovering over her head. And as quickly as it came, it disappeared into the air. The murmurs quickly got louder as the campers had just witnessed Cleo getting claimed by her parental god.

"W-what...what was that just now?" asked the blonde demigod, a little panicked at the sudden event.

Nobody answered her, but Chiron stepped closer to the duo and helped Seria get back on her feet. Looking down at Cleo, he smiled softly at her, "What is your name, child?"

"Cleo...Cleo Morrison."

Chiron nodded and then faced the campers and declared in a loud, booming voice. "Hail, Cleo Morrison! Daughter of Aphrodite!"

In the corner of the crowd, a whole group of girls (and a few boys), who looked like they've been attacked by a face painter, erupted into cheers; they were the campers/children of Aphrodite Cabin. The other cabins just rolled their eyes, groaned, or shot Cleo an almost pitiful smile. Hermes Cabin, on the other hand, released a sigh of relief; at least they just had to accept Freya. Cleo was claimed on the spot so they only needed to worry about the single unclaimed red-head next to her.

"Daughter...of Aphrodite?" Cleo repeated, "I'm...the daughter of the Greek Goddess of Love?"

Chiron nodded; then he gently pushed Cleo and Freya in the direction of The Big House. "Now follow me, since you two are new to the concept of being demigods; time for you to watch the camp orientation film."

But before they could go any further, Apollo immediately stepped in front of the duo and shot them his infamous _'movie-star'_ smile. "Hey, I'm Apollo, God of the Sun and one of your camp directors."

Cleo just rolled her eyes at the blonde god, obviously not interested in what more he has to say but Freya looked at the Sun God with amazement and another emotion that Seria couldn't identify in her eyes. But that look disappeared when she followed his gaze...to Cleo.

"So! Since ya'll are new and stuff, I'll just give you guys a brief introduction to the other two schmoozers that run this camp." Apollo pointed to Chiron, "That half-horse dude is Chiron, the real boss around here. He's a centaur by the way and extremely helpful; so if you got any problems, talk to him." Then he pointed at Mr. D, who looked as grumpy as ever. "That chubby, grump over there is known around here as Mr. D. But his real name is Dionysus, God of Theatre and Wine. Don't piss him off or get in his way 'cause he's a real pain in the butt."

"Apollo," growled the grumpy god; though he really doesn't like demigods in general, Mr. D still didn't like hearing other people _"insulting"_ his name like that.

Yet Apollo ignored him nonetheless. "But out of the three of us, I'm totally WAY cooler than they are. More handsome too, you know. Hey! Why don't I just recite a welcome haiku for you guys...or better! I can give you two my autograph! That is way more valuable than my haikus."

Freya raised her hand, stopping the sun god's babbling, "_Oh my god!_" she said in an exasperated tone. "Don't you _ever_ shut that dang pie-hole of yours? I mean _seriously!_ Someone sure does have a _huge_ ego and a mouth-to-match!"

With that said Freya took Cleo's hand and walked around Apollo and followed Chiron all the way towards the Big House; leaving the sociable sun god standing at the entrance of the camp flabbergasted.

The campers quickly parted from their giant crowd and returned back to their usual activities; some were snickering, others just walked away with grins on their faces after witnessing Apollo getting shot down so quickly.

Apollo, finally recovering from the shock, turned to the only campers that remained; Percy, Seria, and the female demigod with electric blue eyes. He looked at them with an almost pitiful "kicked puppy" expression. "Did...did I just get rejected?"

Percy just laughed. "Well...I can die now! I just saw Apollo definitely getting rejected by a demigod. Bucket-list COMPLETED!"

Seria and the other girl laughed along with Percy; all three turning around and returning to their camp activities as well. Leaving Apollo alone and more shocked than ever.


	6. Cleo and Freya

**A/N: **Note: This chapter is pretty darn long and is more focused on the two new girls at camp; Cleo and Freya. I hope you like it and the charaters!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Percy Jackson series and its characters! They all belong to the series' author, Rick Riordan. I only own the three OCs that you see: Seria, Cleo, and Freya. This fanfic was written only for your amusement, nothing else! I hope you enjoy it. :)

* * *

Seria, Percy, and the clad-in-black girl waited patiently for the two new demigods to be released from The Big House; already making themselves the "welcoming committee" of the camp. Percy eyed the two black haired demigods standing in front of them; he had noticed that the two of them hadn't said a thing to each other ever since they've stood in front of the porch. So he decided to take matters into his own hands...

"So," he began rather loudly; catching the attention of the two female demigods, "Seria...ah...this is Thalia Grace, Daughter of Zeus. And Thalia, this is Seria Amagi, The Daughter of-"

Percy was cut off by Thalia's quick and sharp reply, "Daughter of Hades, yes, I know her already, fish-for-brains." Percy quickly fell silent, a slight shine of hurt showing in his eyes but Thalia ignored it completely, "It's such an _honor_ to finally meet 'The Lost Demigod' in the flesh...and certainly not lost."

Seria's gray orbs narrowed considerably; she already had to deal with one bad attitude today, she didn't need to deal with another.

"The honor is mine." Seria returned the smirk. "To meet a daughter of Zeus, instead of a son...that's quite rare; seeing as how Zeus seems to favor the masculine gender when it comes to his children."

Electricity sparked in the air to match Thalia's growing irritation and the shadows surrounding the area began to twitch, as if they were itching to impale the Daughter of Zeus on the spot. To any of the camp directors (Mr. D and Apollo preferably), if they had seen the way Seria and Thalia acted, they would see the resemblance of the relationship to that of Zeus and Hades originally. The two daughters of the two powerful gods already showed signs of disliking each other; it wouldn't take long before one of them jumps at the chance for attack.

Percy fidgeted with the growing tension, though that might've been just his ADHD kicking in. Percy was well aware that Seria and Thalia were of equal power were strong enough to take him out...if they wanted to. So to prevent a colossal disaster in camp, he decided to step in and play "Peace-maker".

"Okay, okay," he sighed, stepping in front of the two feuding demigods. "Lets calm down, okay? We really don't need to be all up in each other's throats on the first day of your guy's return."

Seria and Thalia faltered, allowing Percy to go on with what he had to say. "We should try to get a long, y'know? Seeing as we're basically now the Big Three of the camp. We should try to set a better example than what our dads show."

Though reluctantly, Seria and Thalia agreed. Percy did have a point; they were better than this. They didn't need to stoop down to their fathers' level. So they backed off, allowing Percy to sigh in relief.

"So," Seria mumbled. She eyed the door to The Big House; begging for it to open already. "What exactly happened to _you_, Thalia?"

Thalia smiled bitterly; it was still a rather touchy subject to speak about so quickly. "Well basically, I fought off a stupid Cyclops and prevented it from killing some of my friends but I ended up getting mortally wounded in the process. I really thought I was gonna die-"

"Going to," Seria corrected with her infamous poker face back on. "The correct term is going to

"Uh...right," Thalia muttered. She'd been expecting to see Seria's reaction to modern slang and now she did. Seeing as Seria was indeed from the 1940's, as Chiron kindly informed her beforehand, she had a feeling Seria would be acting as a grammar cop. "As I was saying.I really thought I was _going to_ die but my dad," Thalia's expression darkened at this point. "He intervened. Instead of having me die like a hero, he took _pity_ on me and turned me into a pine tree to _'save'_ me."

"And at the same time, you became some sort of guardian of the camp's borders." Seria finished the sentence and sighed; shooting Thalia an almost sympathetic look...almost. "Looks like we have one thing in common,"

Both Percy and Thalia looked up at Seria with interest, wondering what she was going to say next.

"We've both been through a lot in our lives." The usually dark and gloomy demigod smiled softly at Thalia. "We both know what it is like to sacrifice ourselves to save another and at the same time, we both have been _'suspended in time'_."

Thalia grinned at Seria; a mutual respect forming between the two of them, but you could still sense the feeling of rivalry in the air. As children of two Big Three gods that have a history of fighting each other, it was only proper for them to have a rivalry amongst themselves. Despite knowing that he'll eventually be dragged into the rivalry, Percy smiled at the two girls that stood before him and before anyone could say anything else, the door of The Big House opened; releasing the two new demigods from within.

Percy smiled at the two girls as they exited the old building, "So, how was the orientation?"

"Ah..." Cleo looked away, not meeting Percy's gaze. "It was so-so. Kind of plain if you ask me, but then again it IS an orientation film. Those things tend to be boring in general, even for a camp for demigods."

"I thought it was wicked!" cheered Freya; a giant grin spread across her face. "You guys seriously get to go on quests?! And fight monsters?! And-"

"Yeah, yeah we do all that." Thalia chuckled at Freya's enthusiasm. Now, let's see if that enthusiasm will last when she finds out that the questing is a very rare occurrence...but Thalia wouldn't tell Freya that. She'd rather wait for the girl's reaction. "But the camp is to train demigods to defend themselves. You know, to prepare them for their lives outside the camp when they get old enough to live on their own."

Freya's mood deflated a bit but she cocked a curious eyebrow, "How old would that be exactly?"

"Around college age at least." Seria said, "After all, that was how old Mark was when he left. Am I correct, Chiron?" Seria sent an almost hostile look towards the centaur that had been standing quietly on The Big House's porch.

Chiron was unfazed by Seria's hostile tone; in fact, he was expecting that ever since his old ward had returned from her stone-incased state. He just sent Seria an apologetic look (which was met by a harsh head turn). "Correct."

"Mark?" Percy looked at Chiron in confusion. "Chiron is there something you aren't telling us? Who's Mark?"

"An old camper, Percy." Chiron sighed, "I advise that it's best that you don't ask any more questions about him."

Percy nodded his head, understanding what Chiron meant completely; Mark was a demigod that had been close to Seria, who is 70 years out of her time, so the chances of that single camper still being alive were close to none. Thalia, however, was still in the dark about Seria's current situation other than that she was originally from the 1940s. But she made a note to herself to ask Chiron about this Mark character when Seria wasn't around.

"Now," Chiron said in a loud voice. "Changing the topic back onto Freya's lodgings for the time being." He looked down at the red-headed demigod, who sheepishly looked up at the centaur. "Since you have yet to be claimed by your parental god, I have no choice but to send you to Hermes Cabin and that will be your home for the summer...or at least until you're claimed."

Freya's frown deepened (if that was even possible); she didn't like the sound of that. No scratch that, she hated the sound of someone saying that her godly parent hadn't _"claimed"_ her yet! It just wasn't fair! How come Cleo gets claimed so quickly, while she remained unclaimed? It was like her parental god didn't even care about her!

Freya's suffering didn't go unnoticed. Seria had seen the state of Hermes Cabin; it was downright appalling! The cabin itself looked as if it was close to falling apart. The paint was chipped and it was already overloaded with both the Children of Hermes, the unclaimed, and the children of minor gods. There was no way Seria was going to allow Chiron to send Freya in there!

"I'll take her in!"

Almost instantly, all eyes went to her. Most looked shocked at Seria's sudden decision but one was grateful.

"Seria," Chiron nervously eyed his ward. "I do not think that is a wise decision. Your father won't like the idea of a demigod that is not his child being in his cabin."

_'As if I didn't already know that...'_ Seria thought sourly. "I don't mind, Chiron. There's more than enough room in Hades Cabin for Freya and if my father shows anything against my idea, he can just deal with it for all I care."

It took almost all of her willpower for Seria to resist the urge to laugh at Chiron's flabbergasted expression. But Freya openly showed her gratitude; she threw her arms around Seria's neck and snatching the Daughter of Hades in an almost back-breaking hug.

"Oh~ thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" chanted the unclaimed demigod, "You seriously don't know how much this means to me!"

"Calm down, calm down!" croaked Seria; her face already turning to an unhealthy shade of blue. "I was just doing what any other sane person would do. Now, **PLEASE RELEASE ME!**"

Freya didn't need to be told twice. She released Seria from her deadly grip and smiled down at the gasping Asian. "Still, I'm grateful."

Though she was still gasping for breath, Seria was able to return a rather weak smile to Freya. Looks like things will be bright for her and Seria as roommates during their time in Camp Half-Blood.

* * *

After a brief welcome speech from Chiron, the centaur handed Freya and Cleo their activity schedule for the week. The schedule had all the activities and classes that the two demigods would be attending for the current summer. It was then did Chiron remember that none of them had brought a small luggage containing extra clothes and other essentials that they would need for the rest of the summer.

"Don't worry," said Seria. "I'll go talk to the satyr that was in charge of protecting the two of them to go retrieve some clothes of theirs."

"And contact their fathers; tell them that their daughters have already been taken to the camp and that they will see them after the summer at the given location." When he was sure that he no longer had to explain anything more, Chiron left the group of campers to enjoy the rest of their day.

"You sure you can handle all that?" asked Percy. "I can help if you want."

Seria shook her head but smiled at Percy's kindness. "No, I've got it. I'll join in on the fun later." She then turned to Freya, "Hades Cabin is the black cabin near the end of the cabin line-up. You won't miss it."

"Okay!" Freya grinned at her new roommate, "Thanks again."

Seria didn't say anything in response, instead she just smiled and walked away to do what she needed to do. Though she was still yearning for the false hope of returning back to her own time, Seria knew she was still able to find home in camp...despite being absent for seventy years. Now, time to clean up the cabin and make it presentable for her new roommate.

* * *

Back with the others, Percy and Thalia gladly told Cleo and Freya where most of their classes and activities were usually held before departing as well, leaving the two friends alone to their own thoughts.

"So," Freya had a mischievous smirk on her face; not a good sign. "You got a thing for that Percy kid?"

Cleo's face flushed in embarrassment, "What?! Me? No!" A total failure of a lie.

Freya laughed at her friend's reaction, "Don't lie to me, Cleo." The red-head casually swung her arm around Cleo's neck and brought her down a notch. "I've known you long enough to tell if you like a dude or not. Besides, Percy's kind of cute don't you think?"

At a first glance, anyone would've thought that Freya and Cleo were the most unlikely of friends and that they were around the same age. But anyone who had thought that is incorrect; despite their differences, Freya and Cleo were the best of friends, despite their age difference. Cleo had just recently turned fourteen, while Freya was shockingly at the age of seventeen. The two friends had a three year age gap. Though most would assume that three years wasn't much, it was actually quite an age gap for them, especially since Cleo was still a middle-schooler while Freya was already in her third year of high school. Their friendship was pure chance; the two had met when their fathers, who both worked as high-class businessmen, decided to meet up to discuss a deal that both of their companies were willing to make. They had gone from strangers with extremely wealthy fathers to the best friends in a matter of minutes.

Cleo rolled her eyes, shoving Freya away from her. "I-I've seen better."

"Ah-huh," Freya crossed her arms, playfully narrowing her maroon eyes at her blonde companion. "Not buying it! It's those eyes, isn't it? I noticed how you didn't look him in the eye earlier! You fell for the eyes, didn't you?!"

"Oh. My. God!" Cleo slammed her hands onto her ears, covering the appendages completely. "Shut up, Freya! Darn it all, why can't you act your age?!"

"Because that would be way too boring!" Freya grabbed Cleo's arm and began to drag her in the direction Thalia had told her the showers would be. "Now, let's change out of these dresses before we wreak havoc around the camp!"

Cleo raised one blonde, perfectly shaped eyebrow. "You brought extra clothes?"

"Ha! No," Freya scoffed at the thought. "I'm wearing regular clothes underneath this 'Death Trap with a Skirt'! You," the red head removed a pair of scissors from her dress' pocket. "Are going to do what you do best~"

Cleo smirked; taking the pair of scissors from her partner-in-crime. "Have I told you how much of a genius you are?" cooed the Daughter of Aphrodite.

Freya just smirked, dragging her friend to the showers to change their attire to something more comfortable. Freya Blake was ready to take Camp Half-Blood through a wild rollercoaster ride and make everyone's lives miserable (maybe) for her own amusement.

* * *

-**FREYA**-

If I had to count how many times I have been surprised today, I bet it would already exceed the usual ten (though I may be just over exaggerating it again). When I had woken up this morning, I never would've suspected my day to turn out like this: Me, making my clothes levitate from the ground when I got angry at my dad, noticing how a weird lady dressed in silver and black kept on following me on my way to Cleo's house, getting attacked by Cleo's maid...who turned out to be a freaky bat-lady-monster-...thing, finding out one of our _"friends"_ was actually a satyr...and that he had taken us to a special camp for _"special children"_ aka demigods; half-human and half-god, spawns of the Greek gods that I usually heard in fairytales. Now I was out of that god awful party dress and was now wearing my favorite black long-sleeved, graphic shirt, a pair of ripped up jeans and my favorite pair of black combat boots. I looked pretty good, if I do say so myself, and my day has been so...hectic. I'm still debating whether or not I have officially lost my mind.

When Cleo had been claimed as the Daughter of Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of Love; I had been hoping that maybe MY mother would claim me and make herself known...but no, that wasn't the case. From what Chiron, the centaur-dude that was in charge of the whole camp, had told me and Cleo, I was a common occurrence; I was an unclaimed demigod, a demigod whose parental god never or has not yet claimed him/her. You don't know how...devastated...angry...upset...I was; Cleo was claimed because she had proven herself worthy to be claimed by Aphrodite, me on the other hand has yet to do anything REALLY amazing...yet.

"Gods are jerks!" I declared right next to a weird cabin that looked like it has been turned into a greenhouse. My random outburst also attracted a few shocked expressions from the nearby campers...and some of amusement. "Geez, why can't my mom just claim me?! Why do _I_ have to prove myself to get claimed? In fact...SCRATCH THAT, _HOW_ do I prove myself to a parent I don't even know?!"

After a few moments of silence, I released a heavy sigh and looked at my schedule; my first class was archery practice.

"Maybe _'Mother Dearest'_ will claim me if I do well in archery." God help me; I'm a withering, emo mess.

Throwing aside any more negative thoughts, I made my way to the archery field...completely unaware of the sudden fire that had started in the greenhouse-looking cabin when I began my rant.

The archery field was pretty cool if you had to ask me; it was a long, nice field near the forest area and a few feet away from where the archers-in-training stood were a bunch of targets, ready to be bombarded by arrows for a few hours. The other campers that were in the class looked pretty darn confident, probably because they've been doing this thing for years, compared to me. I also noticed a few looked similar to one another; some pretty much had blonde (almost sun-streaked) hair or a light brown-ish color, skin color ranging from cream colored to a surfer's tan, and sky blue eyes. The others were also pretty darn good with a bow and arrow; making me question why they were even in practice when most of their shots already landed on the bull's-eye.

"Hey, new girl!"

Who said that? I whipped my head around looking for who had called me and eventually spotted one of the campers in the field jogging towards me. It was a really hot dude (in my opinion); he had a light tan, gelled up brown hair, and his eyes were a dark brown. I looked him from top-to-bottom and noticed how he was wearing an orange t-shirt that had **CAMP HALF-BLOOD** in bold black letters, jeans, some sneakers, and was carrying his own bow and a quiver filled to the brim with arrows.

The hot-guy grinned at me and I swear, I died and went to heaven when he did. "I'm Michael Yew, Son of Apollo." Even his name sounded hot. "Let me be the first of the Apollo campers to officially welcome you to Camp Half-Blood."

"Nice to meet you, Michael. I'm Freya Blake." Wait...wait...did he say that he was a Son of Apollo? Apollo as in the Greek God of the Sun and Music? The same Apollo that had acted like a total d-bag a few hours ago when we first arrived here? Oh, HELL NO!

"Hey," Michael looked down at me with a worried expression. "You okay?"

_'Oh crap, did I look weird just now?'_ I tried smiling at Michael but no doubt it ended up looking like a disaster. "Uh, yeah...just...still surprised about this whole broo-ha-ha. Y'know, being told that you're like...half-god is kind of...hard to take in sometimes."

"Oh yeah, I totally understand." He laughed, patting me on the back, "But don't worry, you'll get used to it soon enough. Being a demigod isn't all that bad; in fact, you don't even notice anything different about it. It's like you're still living your life normally, only you know that one of your parents is a powerful god or goddess and that you'll sometimes be attacked by monsters," He trailed off about the monsters when he noticed my horror-filled expression. "But it's totally fine! The camp has a magical border that prevents any monsters from getting in...a-and the camp was made to teach us how to defend ourselves! So when we're away from camp and back into our _'normal'_ lives outside, we can protect ourselves from those monster attacks."

_'Nice save,'_ I mused sarcastically. _'At least now I can expect being attacked by a monster when I get home.'_

"Changing topics," I announced. "Who's in charge of this class? Or are us campers expected to teach ourselves in the easy art of archery?"

Now it was Michael's turn to look confused. "You mean you didn't know? The one who teaches archery nowadays is-"

"HEY THERE KIDDIES! THE AWESOME APOLLO IS HERE TO TEACH!"

An all too familiar voice, a voice that I loathe with every fiber of my being. I slowly turned my head to face my _"teacher"._ The same aviator shades, shaggy, sun-streaked hair and blue eyes, no doubt...it was Apollo.

"Oh no." I groaned; face palming at my misfortune. "Why does life hate me?"

Michael chuckled; obviously, he still remembered my little comment to his...father...earlier. "Life doesn't hate you; The Fates just planned your beginning to be a little rough, that's all."

Fates...right. Greek demigods; they use mythology in their way of speaking.

Ultimately I declared that The Fates must really hate me, because Mr. Perfect noticed me right away. "Oh hey, it's you..." Was that displeasure in his voice? Yes, yes I believe that was. "So, you're in my time slot today?" I can tell the sun-god didn't want to deal with me just as much as I didn't want to deal with him.

"Yeah," I snapped, glaring daggers at him. "Why? Got a problem with it, Sunny-D?"

Apollo glared at me and growled, "Show respect, demigod. I may be under punishment but don't think I won't think twice about incinerating you on the spot! After all, you're still unclaimed...I don't think anyone would mind your sudden demise."

Now that was a low blow even for someone like Apollo. I really couldn't think of anything better to top his threat, so I just settled for glaring at the god. Apollo looked so smug when I was incapable of throwing a smart remark at him. God do I hate this man SO much.

"C'mon dad," Michael sighed. "Cut her some slack; she's new here."

Apollo frowned lightly at his son. "Cut her some slack? Please, she had every chance to apologize but she instead decided to continue being disrespectful." With his piece said, Apollo walked to the targets and faced all of the archers.

One by one, all of the other campers lined up in front of a target and poised themselves to shoot once they were given the okay.

"Okay, kiddies!" Apollo called; a way-too-big grin on his face. "Archery isn't as easy as it looks. Because the arrows are just wood. ANYTHING can throw off their course when you fire; resulting in your arrow hitting something else, like another camper OR ME instead of a target."

I rolled my eyes as I poised my arrow into my bow. Apollo was being _way_ too dramatic. Archery _is_ easy! Just look at how all those people in the movies can fire arrows so fast! It's as if they were like wooden machine guns. I didn't need this class. I can fire an arrow with my eyes closed and make it hit a bull's-eye. That'll show him not to underestimate me.

Michael seemed to have gotten this gist of what I was going to do. He mouthed out a big "N-O" to me; a feeble attempt in getting me to reconsider. But I pretended not to have noticed his futile attempts to stop me. I aimed my bow and arrow, made sure my arrow was aimed right for the center of the target and released.

I watched as the arrow sailed through the air, flying with no problems whatsoever. At first I was proud of my accomplishment...then I watched by arrow miss the target by a few inches, sailing towards a certain blonde, blabbing idiot.

Apollo had been lecturing more and more about how to fire an arrow properly...when my arrow had sailed right by his head; missing his head by centimeters and probably cutting off a few strands of his hair as it went by. Said sun-god went still as a board, his eyes wide with surprise and his mouth half-way open. I couldn't help it, I laughed my bum off and soon enough, all eyes were on me.

By the way, have you ever seen a god completely, totally, extremely angry before? Well, lucky you 'cause when I blew my _'cover'_ by laughing, the sun-god's face distorted to an angry, menacing scowl. I was quiet within seconds.

Somehow Apollo was able to literally appear right in front of me (must be a god thing 'cause I strictly remember him being half-way across the field) and boy, was he angry. I actually thought that he would really incinerate me like he said before.

"HOW STUPID ARE YOU?!"

_'Well, at least he didn't incinerate me into nothing.'_

"I should be asking you that." I chuckled as his face became even more red. Any more and he'd be the shade of a tomato. "I was just proving how easy archery is. Sadly, your ugly face got in the way and distracted me. Too bad the arrow missed," I smirked. "It would've been an improvement."

Apollo just stared at me in disbelief. I guess I would too if I'd met a half-blood who's brave enough to insult a _god_. "Well, your boldness is great," he grumbled; a compliment from him? Must be my lucky day! "But as a _reward_ for your _'lovely'_ example; you'll be cleaning the Pegasi stables."

_'Wait...what?'_

I looked at the sun-god with wide eyes; he really wasn't serious...right? But that triumphant smirk said otherwise. He was dead serious about that..."reward".

"What?! You...you've gotta be kiddin' me! I am NOT, I repeat, NOT going to clean the camp's horse stables!"

"Pegasi stables. We have Pegasi, not horses, Freya."

Apollo and I turned our heads to face the new speaker; Seria. My new roommate was carrying two mobile luggages; one black (totally mine) and one pink with white swirl designs. She looked at the both of us with a mixed expression of disappointment and amusement.

"Seria!" cried both me and the sun-god. "Tell him/**her** that I/**she** don't have/**has to** clean the stables!"

The Daughter of Hades just sighed, shaking her head like an annoyed mother would to her children. She looked at me, "Why don't you want to clean the stables? It's a punishment, Freya. You have to...even though it stinks...literally.

"What?! You're going to side with...with...HIM?!" Great, even my roommate is against me.

Seria just shrugged. "Sadly, yes. Apollo is in charge of this class, Freya. Plus, _you_ were the one who chose to fire your arrow, even though it wasn't the time to do so. Sorry, but I'm going to have to side with Apollo on this one." Then she left as if nothing had ever happened.

"Well~" God, Apollo was smirking like the smug bastard that he is. "You heard her, Freya. Get to cleaning the stables. I'll see you during dinner-time at the Mess Hall."

I glared daggers at the blonde man as he walked away from me with that smirk still on his face. Michael, who was still standing next to me, patted my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic smile. He mouthed a quick, "Sorry," before briskly following his father. At least something of Apollo's was relatively nice.

Now...just to clean those darned stables. I hate today...

* * *

**-Cleo-**

My first day of camp had just begun and I already hated it with a burning passion. Not only did I get humiliated in front of most of the camp's occupants, I am now being dragged around the camp by a know-it-all Blondie; not like I have anything against blonds, since I'm blonde myself. You see, after turning my long, dragging white party gown into a comfy summer dress and just popped on one of the camp's official t-shirts, Chiron called me back to introduce me to my _"tour guide"_: Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena. She had light blonde, wavy hair that was tied into a ponytail, silver eyes, slightly tanned skin, and wore the same camp T-shirt that I (and everyone else) wore, a pair of faded jeans and sneakers. But it wasn't her attire that made me gag, it was her attitude. She acted like she knew everything about anything and everyone, and just being mouthy...really mouthy about dull facts that I wouldn't be needing in the future.

So here I was, roaming around camp with Miss Smartass; being absolutely, positively miserable. Annabeth eventually came to a stop in front of a really pink, gaudy-looking cabin. "This is Aphrodite Cabin; your home for the summer."

_'Oh you have got to be kidding me.'_

"_This_ is Aphrodite Cabin?" I repeated; looking at the pink atrocity with disgust.

When Annabeth nodded her head, I nearly gagged on the spot. The cabin was PINK...and...is that lace around the columns? Oh that is...is disgusting. The cabin reeked of perfume and incense. I could practically smell the make-up that probably filled the cabin. Oh god...d-does that mean that my _"half-siblings"_ are-?

"Oh! She's here!" A relatively normal-looking girl came out of the cabin, which gave me a bit of hope. She smiled at me and popped her head back into the cabin and screamed, "Guys! Our new addition is here!"

As she walked out, countless faces crowded the windows; most female but a few males were in there. Poor men, they're surrounded by a bunch of Barbie-wannabes, though the girl approaching me and my "tour guide" looked nice.

Said girl stuck out her hand and gave me a pearly-white smile. "Hi, I'm Silena Beauregard. Nice to meet you."

Annabeth nodded her head slightly at Silena and motioned her hands to and fro between me and Silena, "Cleo, this is Silena Beauregard. She's the counselor for Aphrodite Cabin. If you have any problems, you go to her. Silena, this is Cleo Morrison."

I rolled my eyes; I could introduce myself on my own; thank you. But I still smiled at Silena, shaking her hand gently.

"Nice to meet you as well, Silena. But please, call me Cleo."

"Cleo Morrison?" The girl's eyes almost popped right out of her head, "You mean like...Jameson Morrison? The CEO of Morrison Fashion Industry?"

I chuckled lightly at the almost immediate recognition. "Yes; my father is really Jameson Morrison."

Silena clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "Oh, that's so cool! I can definitely see why mother fell for him."

_'What?'_

"He ran a fashion industry, is practically a millionaire, and he's handsome to boot. Mom always had...good tastes, if you know what I mean."

_'Great; the last thing I needed to find out is that my mother is a gold-digger.'_ I bit back that snide little remark and just tightly smiled at Silena. "Ahaha, yes...I totally understand. Well, it was nice meeting you Silena. Tell...the others that I said hello and what-not." I looked at Annabeth, "Annabeth, here, has to return to her duty of being my...guide."

My _"half-sister"_ nodded her head understandingly, totally unaware of my hostile tone. "Of course, I understand. Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around camp then. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Cleo. And uh...bye Annabeth."

Annabeth said her goodbye and lead me away from "Super-Model Graveyard". When we were far enough, she slowly turned her head and sighed, "Forgive Silena. She doesn't really think before she says anything, but she's a really nice girl; compared to the other girls you'll meet in the cabin."

I didn't say anything, so the rest of our walk around camp went in silence. Eventually, Annabeth took me to a shoddy little building made out of wood; it was barely even holding together and judging by the sword symbol hanging on the roof, the building was where they kept their weapons.

"This is the armory," stated my _lovely _"tour guide". "You'll find most of your armor in here, along with some extra weapons that you might end up needing for classes...or in case the camp is attacked."

_'What a lovely thought; the camp can be attacked at some point...very reassuring to know.'_

"But I didn't bring you here just for that little knowledge." Now that was an interesting bit. "I brought you here so you could choose your _personal_ weapon."

"My personal weapon?" I looked at the silver eyed girl strangely. "What do you mean by that?"

Annabeth was happy to explain, "Most, if not all, of the campers here usually have a personal weapon that they received on their first day in camp. Some got it here, others found theirs on a quest or when they truly prove themselves to their godly parent. The kids at Hephaestus Cabin though, usually make their personal weapon; seeing as their parental god is The God of the Forge."

I nodded my head slowly, showing that I understood what she meant...sort of.

Annabeth lead me inside the armory and stepped aside, allowing me full access to the shed. The armory was definitely true to its name; every corner and inch of the wooden structure hung weapons of all kinds. The weapons ranged from, but not limited to; swords, axes, spears, shields, crossbows, bows and arrows and many more. If I hadn't known better I would've thought that the armory was bigger on the inside!

"You only get to pick one." Annabeth said before walking out; leaving me to pick my weapon.

I browsed through the mounds of weapons that filled the armory...but I just couldn't find that ONE weapon that felt...right for me. Then I saw something sparkle in the corner of my eye; that's when I found it. It was a thin rapier; an odd thing to find in a Greek-ish camp. The blade was a sparkling bronze color and its hilt was a swirl of blue and gold.

As I picked it up, a warm feeling seemed to surge through my body; this was my weapon. Almost as if it was reacting to my touch, the sword slowly began to shift its form. I watched in amazement as the sword morphed into a simple diamond-shaped charm; the charm had a gold outline and in the middle was a bright blue gem that matched the same shade of blue that was on the sword's hilt.

"Wow, it can change into a charm for easy carriage." I mused with a smile on my face. After I got over my amazement, I clasped the charm onto the choker that I wore around my neck.

When I was sure that I was done, I walked out of the armory. Annabeth was still there (sadly) and greeted me with a curt nod. "So did you find a weapon?"

"Yep," I poked at the charm around my neck. "So...is that it? Tour over?"

The blonde girl fell silent, obviously thinking if there was anywhere else that she needed to take me to. "Aha!" Ohhh...darn, so close to freedom. "I need you to take you to sword training."

"Sword training?" They really weren't kidding about the whole "_teaching young demigods to defend themselves and form them into great heroes"_. I just hope that the training would be amusing

I followed Annabeth to a large stone arena that almost looked too good to be real. It was like it popped right out of a history textbook and planted itself here in the camp. I would've been able to enjoy it's enormous size if it weren't for the large group of demigod campers fighting all around us. Some of them were hacking away at training dummies, while others decided to fight each other to practice.

Annabeth lead me towards a large group that looked like they were surrounding someone; apparently, that was my training group. When I squeezed through the mesh of bodies and came out near the middle, I cursed my luck.

"Oh you have GOT to be kidding me..."

The one who was in charge of the training session...was none other than Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon aka the dude with the really attractive eyes.

Percy caught sight of me and Annabeth and grinned at us; he easily took down the demigod that he was fighting and stuck his sword to the ground, "And THAT is how you take down a rushing opponent. Thank you, Sam." He grabbed the demigod's hand and helped 'em back up.

The demigod that had been chosen to fight Percy was a tall, chubby girl. She had darkly tanned skin, a curly mess of dark brown hair and light purple eyes with golden ringlets faded in. Sam looked like she'd seen better days but she smiled at Percy gratefully, "No problem, Percy." Then she disappeared back into the crowd, sword in hand.

"So," Percy turned to face Annabeth. "What brings you here to my group, Annabeth?"

"Hold your horses, fish-for-brains. Don't act like you're the teacher twenty-four-seven here. Remember, you're just a temp. until that Ares kid gets healed up after that incident with a naiad." Annabeth chuckled before turning over to me. "I'm here to give you your new student, Mr. High-and-Mighty. Go easy on her, okay? Remember she's a Daughter of Aphrodite. You know how they don't like getting dirty."

_'Excuse me?'_ I didn't know if I should feel offended or not; actually no, scratch that. I should be offended! That blonde little smart-mouth just stereotyped me with all the other bimbos at Aphrodite cabin!

"Actually," I snapped angrily; catching the attention of both demigods. "I _totally_ don't mind getting my hands dirty once in a while. So don't just assume that, _Anna-dear._ You may act like you know everything about the camp but don't think that you know the campers."

The group around us let out a few teasing "Ooh"'s to add to the effect of my burn. Annabeth looked absolutely livid; her cheeks were a flaming red and her silver eyes seemed to have darkened to a stormy gray. Percy, on the other hand, looked amused.

"Alright then," chuckled the boy. "Let's see you fight then, Cleo."

"What?" Now I didn't expect that.

Percy shrugged; drawing his sword as he approached me. "Let's see you fight. You say you don't mind getting your hands dirty, well...then prove it. Fight me."

The crowd around us cheered at the notion; they began to cheer the word "Fight" and some even began to push me towards the center of the circle. I stared at Percy with wide eyes; he wanted me to fight him? The man easily took down that Sam girl...how can I-?

I shook my head and unclasped my charm, glaring daggers at Percy. "Alright then, Perse. You want a fight? You got one." In my hand, the charm morphed back to the same rapier that I had picked out moments ago. In the sunlight, the sword seemed to glow and radiate with power.

Percy smirked and got into battle position; his own bronze sword (Riptide) in hand. All was still...then I lunged. Percy easily side-stepped and caught my sword with his own; now it was a fight for dominance. Percy easily pushed me back and pointed his sword at me with a smirk on his face. "Give up?"

"I don't give in that easily, fish prince." I parried his sword, throwing him off balance. Percy's face flushed at my nickname but he quickly got back into the game. We both rushed at each other, swords a-swinging and the sound of metal clanging through the air was all that could be seen and heard. The fight was almost even and Percy was getting very frustrated.

His frustration would be his downfall in this fight...and it was. Percy, no longer caring about his defense, went straight for a vertical cut. I was able to dodge his attack and swing my sword in retaliation with a slight lunge. Percy narrowingly missed the blade by mere inches from his neck. His dodge was effective, but it cost him his balance. Almost instantly, the sea green-eyed boy fell over his own feet and landed right on his bum to the ground.

The crowd was silent. Percy Jackson had just been defeated by a girl and not just any girl too, a Daughter of Aphrodite. Percy stared up at me with wide, shocked eyes and Annabeth just gaped at the results. I giggled at their reactions and put away my sword.

"See," I sighed, giving a helping hand for Percy. "Don't underestimate people so easily."

Percy looked at my hand, then back at me...and he grinned. He clasped my hand tightly and hoisted himself back up. He was still smiling at me and I swore...I felt my face get hotter; was I sick? I don't know.

"You're pretty good at fighting." He mused, his smile not even moving away from his face. "You're the first Aphrodite girl that I've ever seen that can manage to hold their ground in a fight. Let alone win one."

I grinned with pride. "Wow, what an honor; to recieve a compliment from a son of Poseidon."

He laughed and patted my shoulder. "We should fight again sometime soon."

"Yeah~" I smirked, nudging him by my elbow a bit. "Maybe a _private_ session may be nice."

A few snickers echoed around the group and I swore, I could practically see Annabeth seething in anger. Percy looked down at me with a slightly puzzled expression, then he laughed; startling me quite a bit.

"A private session? Yeah, that sounds great!"

_'I don't think he understood what I meant...'_ I sighed but joined him in laughter.

It was then did I notice how late it was getting; the sun was already beginning to set and the sky was beginning to darken. Just how long was our fight?

"Well, I guess this session is dismissed." At the call, the campers dispersed. Percy then grabbed my hand and smiled down at me once more. "Allow me to escort you to the Mess Hall, Cleo. It's all I can do for your prize in defeating me."

I flushed at the notion. Scratch that, I can practically hear my heart pounding in my ears. "Well," I giggled. "I don't have any objections about that."

"Perfect." Then we were off; leaving behind an envious silver-eyed know-it-all.

* * *

The camp's mess hall was basically a large wooden outdoor structure that was supported by towering wooden columns. Inside the mess hall were a total of thirteen tables, each representing a respective cabin. Across the tables were thirteen hearths; these hearths were used to make food offerings to each camper's respective parental god.

The mess hall was now overflowed with the loud chatter of campers. Most of the tables were filled to the brim with young demigods; all talking with large smiles on their faces. The only tables that were close to empty were the tables representing the cabins of Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades; all of which had only one camper sitting on the table. But they didn't mind, they've been in the camp long enough to get used to the solitude of being a child of the Big Three.

Seria was picking at her food, not really feeling all that hungry at the moment. She had a lot on her mind. One of them being the reason why her savior, Luke, had chosen to serve Kronos. It puzzled her greatly; it made her even question why he had chosen to save her in the first place.

_'I'd never serve that Titan. Let alone betray my friends.'_ Seria thought bitterly, _'So why bother rescue a demigod who'd become your enemy in the end? It just doesn't add up.'_

It was then did Cleo and Freya enter the Mess Hall. Percy released his grip on Cleo's hand and allowed her to sit with her fellow campers in Aphrodite Cabin as he made his way to his solitary table near Thalia and Seria's.

However Freya, who had no knowledge about the assigned seating positions of the camp, took her seat, unknowingly, in the table belonging to Apollo Cabin. Upon this action, all of the campers that belonged to Apollo cabin stared at her like she was an intruder. Freya just met their gazes with a glare, not caring about their judgment whatsoever.

"What are _you_ doing in _my_ table?"

Freya sighed, dreading to turn her head for she already knew who was speaking to her. "Your table?" She scoffed, "Don't make me laugh; I don't see your name anywhere."

Apollo growled, eyes glowing dangerously as he pointed at the crest that hung on the wall next to the table; it was a symbol of the sun. Freya stared at the crest with wide eyes; this seriously was Apollo's table. Then...that meant-

"Holy cow!" Freya jumped from her seat on the table with wide, frantic eyes as she stared at all the campers that usually sat there. "These are all your kids?! Oh my god! Do you sleep-around or something?!"

A silence fell upon the mess hall only to be broken by Mr. D snickered from his side of the room. Apollo sent a dark glare towards the God of Wine's way than he switched back to glaring at Freya. He didn't take lightly to people who say that he just _"sleeps around"._

"Yes, these are MY kids. And for your comment, **I SHOULD SERIOUSLY ERASE YOU FROM ALL EXISTANCE RIGHT NOW!**"

Apollo took one step forward but...

"Ahem." Seria coughed from the Hades Table; a dark glare burning right through Apollo's head.

Apollo went as still as a board and just sighed, his hands clenching and unclenching; as if he was releasing stress. "Actually," he groaned, "Just...just sit with Seria. Don't let me catch you near MY table ever again."

Freya had a triumphant smirk on her face as she strode her way towards the Hades Cabin table and sat down next to Seria. But as she passed Apollo, she made sure to whisper in his ear, "No promises."

Apollo angrily slumped into his chair; glaring darkly at Freya's retreating form.

"Dad, did you seriously let her go on your own accord...or was that Seria's doing?" said Lee Fletcher, who was now bearing a cocky smirk on his face.

"YOU SHUT UP RIGHT NOW, LEE! JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE CABIN COUNSELOR DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO SASS ME!"

Michael scoffed, "Yeah, 'cause that's Seria's job."

Apollo didn't say anything else; he just slammed his head onto the table, startling quite a few of his kids in the process.

"I like the Freya girl, already." chuckled Mr. D from behind, sipping at his Diet Coke.

When dinner came to an end; Chiron welcomed Freya and Cleo happily to the camp and welcomed back Seria and Thalia as well. Everyone was able to enjoy the night; laughter and smiles filling the Mess Hall. It was moments like these did Seria enjoy being a half-blood; but this...was the calm before the storm. Who knew what was going to await the camp in the future? But for now, it was just a time for celebration.

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**A/N:** Okay that's the end of Ch. 5. I hoped you enjoyed this one since this was more of an introductory series of chapters; just so you could get to know the three OCs that will be playing around in my fanfic. Please leave some feedback on what you think of the story so far! It's easy; hit the review button and there you go! Heck, favorite it even! Anyways thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter! Arriverderci!


	7. The Nightmare

**A/N: **Hey guys, sorry for the delay in my updates. I got sick over the past few days and had to stay in bed for a while. Staying in bed always means no computer in my house, so BOOO DX But no worries! I'm all healthy again and ready to give you guys more of the story. So anyways, enjoy! Don't forget to hit the review button and write me up some feedback. Remember! Feedbacks are good because they help me improve on my writing!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series nor any of its charaters! They all belong to Rick Riordan, the series' author. This is written only for YOUR amusement.

* * *

"You have failed me yet again, Luke..."

Luke released another pain filled scream as he felt something slice at the side of his abdomen. It's been like this for hours on end...or at least, it felt like it's been hours. This was always how Kronos punished him when he failed; though the methods were always different, it was still the same type of torture. The thing that made it horrible was that this was all happening in his mind.

In the physical world, he was still asleep and no actual harm was being done to his body. In his mind however, that was a totally different story. Whenever he failed Kronos in any way, the titan made it the norm to punish Luke every time he fell asleep. He punished Luke through nightmares of the most morbid kind. Though it wasn't real, it felt real. Every nerve in his body screamed in agony every time the punishment happens.

The once-proud demigod was on his knees; his chest bare and riddled with gaping wounds that poured out blood in endless streams. There were chains clasped around his wrists and ankles; preventing Luke from getting up from his kneeled over form. He squinted through the bleak darkness that surrounded him as if he was trying to look Kronos in the eye.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't think that Jackson would have the help of a Cyclops on his side. I-I really thought that Polyphemus would take him out for good..."

"Admit it, Castellan! You underestimated the Son of Poseidon. Your arrogance lead to your downfall, Luke. You have failed to retrieve The Golden Fleece!" Two golden eyes appeared in front of Luke and they glowed brightly with rage. "I should kill you for your insolence!"

Luke was trembling at the threat; he didn't want to die, not now...not when his plan has yet to bear fruit. But what else can he offer to Kronos? What else- That's it!

"Wait!" He cried out; catching the titan's attention. "I still have something that might interest you."

There was a silence as Kronos considered Luke's offer. The young demigod was waiting with baited breath for Kronos' answer; he silently prayed to The Fates that the titan would listen to what he had to say...and not kill him on the spot.

"I'm listening," boomed the Lord of The Titans.

"On Polyphemus' Island, I rescued a demigod..."

"WHAT?!"

Luke flinched at the loud yell emitted from Kronos; obviously the titan didn't like the sound of that.

"Why would you rescue a demigod that may be a potential enemy?!" screamed the Titan Lord; his eyes narrowed dangerously at the demigod who stood before him.

"She may not be an enemy," Luke said. "She's a child of Hades."

This interested Kronos, "A child of Hades? How is that even possible?"

"Oh, its possible," scoffed the son of Hermes. "Zeus and Poseidon broke their oath, so why not Hades? Besides, she's not an ordinary demigod."

Luke explained to Kronos that the demigod that he rescued was Seria, a Daughter of Hades who had died seventy years ago by Medusa; who had turned the demigod to stone. He told of how he had found her stoned form on the island (though he left out the part that he was hiding from Percy when he found her.) and that he had revived her with the Golden Fleeces' power.

"I was going to talk her into joining our cause," Luke explained. "But Percy interfered when he found me. I had no choice but to retreat. Leaving her at the hands of the enemy."

"Interesting," mused Kronos. The information that Luke had given to him had caught his interest. He could use the daughter of Hades to turn the tide to his favor. "Fine then...Luke!"

"Y-yes, sir?"

"I want you to convince this girl to join us. Use any tactics or tricks that you have up your sleeve. In fact," The Lord of The Titans let out a dark, menacing chuckle that sent shivers down Luke's spine. "I may have a way for you to sway her loyalties."

"Sir?" Luke listened intently; it wasn't very common for Kronos to actually lend him an idea.

"She's been dead for seventy years; her emotions are at their weakest. Luke," Kronos peered down at the Son of Hermes. "Use this against her, play against her weakness and trick her into thinking that you care for her. I want you to make her fall for you. For you see boy, love not only can be a strength, it can lead to a great hero's downfall. Paris of Troy is a good example of that."

Luke was taken back; this was his idea? The young demigod was about to comment on Kronos' idea but before he could even open his mouth, the nightmare began to fade. In seconds, Luke found himself back in his room on the S.S. Andromeda; drenched in a cold sweat, out of breath, and overall, quite shaken by what had transpired. The blonde demigod sat up on his bed; leaning against his bed's headboard for support

_'Seduce her? Play against her weakness?' _Usually he wasn't the type to shy away from dirty tricks but this was something that he couldn't take lightly. _'I'm not sure if I could pull this off. I can't fake attraction...let alone trick someone into falling in love with me.'_

Luke let out an aggravated yell as he fell back into the mattress of his bed. His mind replayed the memory of meeting Seria; he remembered the look of curiosity, confusion...and wonderment when she looked at him. The thought of tricking her, deceiving her made his heart feel so heavy; Luke didn't understand why though.

"Besides," he said to no one, just himself. "It's been days since I last saw her. I wouldn't be surprised if she hates me by now."

That thought made him feel even lonelier than he already did; but he still had to try. Now...he just needed a plan on how to even get to Seria while she's at Camp Half-Blood.


	8. The Sun Chariot

**A/N:** Hey 'sup guys! Okay, so school has started up again so my time is now really limited. I'm already in my final semester as a Junior in highschool, so my grades have to be kept up for college purposes! But I will try to update as often as I can! Anyways, I hope you continue to enjoy the story so far and please hit that lovely Review button and give me some feedback! Sharing your thoughts about the chapter and where you think the story is going so far, really helps in future chapters.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Percy Jackson and the Olympian book series nor any of its characters! They are all owned by the book's lovely author, Rick Riordan. I DO however own the ff. OCs: Seria Amagi, Cleo Morrison, and Freya Blake. This story is a fanfiction; written purely for the amusement of others!

* * *

_-July 31st, Camp Half-Blood, New York City-_

Summer had come to an end too quickly for Seria. The summer that had passed had been very memorable for Seria; she was freed from her seventy-year stone sleep, was reunited with an old friend and her caretaker, and had made quite a few friends over the span of the summer. Though a few started off rather rocky (Thalia and Cleo for example.), Seria eventually learned how to cope with their attitudes and problems and get over any offenses that may have been committed along the way. But sadly, all good things must come to an end and before she knew it, it was already fall and everyone was packing up to go home.

Seria watched as Freya began to back up her clothes and chatter endlessly about how "this school year is going be such a drag" and how she'll probably find a way to sneak back into camp without her father noticing. Seria and Freya had become close friends at a fast rate; close enough that most of the other campers had taken it up to themselves to call them sisters (much to Apollo's dismay). To see Freya leave...was an odd thing to experience for Seria. She had enjoyed the unclaimed demigod's company despite her endless chatter.

"Well," Seria sighed, clutching onto her favorite black silk pillow, "I hope you have fun. It is your last year of high school right?"

"Yep," chirped the red-headed demigod. "Why you asking?"

"Nothing really, it's just... I was just curious. I never really got the chance to know what a real school is like." The daughter of Hades mumbled; staring down at the silk covers of her bed. There was a tad bit of gloom in her voice; something that really was common with her, but this time it was more heavy and serious than her usual gloomy words.

Freya looked down at the Daughter of Hades, staring at her cabin-mate with wide eyes. Freya was quite aware about how Seria never got the chance to live a somewhat _"normal"_ life. However the behavior that she was displaying was...odd. This was the girl who can make Apollo shake in his designer loafers with just one look, yet here she was...sulking like a toddler.

The unclaimed demigod flopped down onto Seria's bed; her weight nearly throwing said demigod off the plushy mattress (One of the many perks of being a child of The Big Three: Comfortable and expensive stuff). Freya glared down at Seria, who didn't meet her gaze for once. "What's your problem, Skull-girl?"

Seria rolled her eyes at Freya's nickname for her but yet again, refused to answer. She didn't want to admit it but she was jealous of Freya. She was jealous about how Freya can go to school without any worries save for doing her homework on time, enjoy life and more importantly, have a family to go home to when camp season was over. She had that kind of life once, but that was a long time ago. Now she had no real family members and she couldn't think back on the past without feeling regretful for many things.

When she only received silence, Freya let out a frustrated groan, startling the sulking girl next to her. "Fine! You wanna stay silent? Stay silent!" The red head went back to packing her belongings, only now she was forcing her belongings into her luggage with unneeded force. "I try to figure you out, Seria but I get nothing! I really want to understand you, I really do... but when you keep pushing me away like that, I just...don't know what to do with you."

Seria just stared at her friend with blank but almost sorrowful eyes; she felt guilty for making her friend worry like this...but it was for the best. There were just some things that are better off left unsaid.

Seria made sure to follow Freya outside of Hades Cabin by the time the red dame was done packing. Because it was the end of another year at camp, all of the campers were outside of their cabins saying their goodbyes for the year. The loudest in saying their goodbyes were always the kids at Hermes Cabin. The cabin was definitely the most crowded, not because Hermes had a lot of kids though; it was because Hermes Cabin always had to take in minor demigods and the unclaimed, except for Freya since Seria stated that the girl would stay with her instead of Hermes Cabin. But despite being crowded, the cabin's occupants treated each other like family despite the fact that none of them (except for Hermes' kids) were even related to each other.

Freya gave Seria a quick hug before disappearing amongst the large crowd of campers near the camp gates. Nearby, Cleo was giving hugs and air kisses to some of the _tolerable_ girls (and some guys) in the Aphrodite Cabin. It was almost ironic to watch since Cleo hated Aphrodite Cabin during the first week of camp and at the same time, most of her _'half-siblings'_ didn't really enjoy her company as well. But after some violent arguments and various fight break-ups, Cleo grew to like a small few of her _half-siblings_; one of them being Silena Beauregard.

After she was done saying her goodbyes to Silena and the others, Cleo and Seria's gazes met and the two demigods just stared each other down for a couple of minutes. Then without warning, they smiled at each other. At first, Cleo hated Seria's guts, seeing her as a '_stuck-up, snobby emo chick' _(another term Seria has yet to learn.) and she held a grudge against the Daughter of Hades for some time after Seria had taken the liberty of trapping the Daughter of Aphrodite in a sphere of shadows. But after some endless pestering from Freya...the two finally got over their problems (somewhat).

"Seria!"

The Asian girl turned her attention to who had called her; it was Lee Fletcher, counselor of Apollo Cabin. She greeted the sandy blonde boy with a smile. "Hello Lee, do you need anything?"

"Well I was originally going to say goodbye to you but," Seria didn't like the look on his face; she could tell something was wrong. "Are you aware of Freya's little idea on how to end the camp session?"

Now this she didn't hear of and to be frank, it worried her already.

"No I haven't. She didn't tell me anything about any idea." Seria narrowed her eyes, "Why are you asking me this, Fletcher?"

Lee nervously looked away from Seria's gaze, suddenly unable to look his friend in the eye. After their first and rather too quick meeting in the camp's infirmary, Lee and Seria actually found themselves in the same activities throughout camp; they were both in archery class with Chiron (morning), canoeing (after lunch), and finally combat training (midday). It didn't take long for Lee to start up conversations with her and eventually, becoming Seria's first actual friend in camp. The two became close, sometimes too close thus resulting in teasings from both the Ares AND Aphrodite cabin.

"Well...Freya might be planning on," he nervously twitched his hand as if he was itching to grab a bow and arrow, "trying to hijack my dad's sun chariot as a way to end the final day at camp."

_"WHAT?!"_

_'That is outrageous! Stealing Apollo's sun chariot?! That's too insane, even for Freya!'_

Lee backed off from Seria, giving the girl some space to silently vent her frustrations. He's seen what happens when Seria gets mad and to be honest, he'd rather be turned into a dolphin by Mr. D than face Seria's wrath.

"Where is she?" growled the death demigod.

Lee just pointed towards the entrance, feeling slight sorry that Freya was going to suffer Seria's anger...but relieved that he wouldn't be facing it full-on. "She's probably near the camp's gate. I saw dad park his chariot there, so there's a high chance she's already over there."

Seria scoffed as she stomped her way over to the camp gates. "Not if I can help it."

Currently unaware of Seria's wrath was Freya, who currently was hiding her over packed suitcase behind a bush. A mischievous glint was shining in her hazel eyes; she couldn't wait to set her prank in motion. She stood silently by the gates of Camp Half-Blood, casually waving at passing campers who were now leaving the camp. She was waiting for her partner-in-crime, conspirator, the-man-behind-the-plan, her-

"Freya!"

Freya beamed at the appearance of the bruenette boy; she knew she could always count on him. "Michael, you made it!"

Michael just grinned at her. "Of course I made it. Did you really think I'd miss the chance of seeing this _genius plan_ come into action?" He dangled a set of car keys in front of Freya's face. "I even managed to snag these for you. Dad didn't even notice they were gone from his pockets."

The red-headed demigod let out a silenced squeal, grabbing the car keys from Michael's hand and smiling up at the boy. "Oh, you always come through, Mikes. Bet you're a better thief than those Stoll brothers when you try."

Michael's cheeks flared at the comment; to be truthful, he really didn't do much. His father was just careless enough to forget the keys to the sun chariot back in the Apollo Cabin, so Michael just easily snatched it from the table when he had the chance.

Just like Seria and Lee, Freya and Michael had formed a friendship of their own. After their meeting in the archery fields on Freya's first day, Michael had actually went through the trouble of finding out which cabin Freya was staying in since he couldn't find her in Hermes Cabin; where most of the unclaimed are sent to. After actually spending an hour together, the two became good friends and kept each other balanced; Michael would _try_ to prevent Freya from murdering his father and teach her archery, while Freya would push Michael to stick out more often.

"So is the coast clear to snag the sun chariot?" Freya asked, throwing the keys up and down with a sly smirk on her face.

"Yeah," Michael nodded. "I checked where my dad parked it for the day; near the gates but it's empty. No one really hangs around there right now since it's the final day of camp."

"Perfect." Freya grabbed Michael's hand and dashed off to where Apollo had parked his precious sun chariot.

When they found it, Freya almost fainted. When she pictured Apollo's sun chariot, she expected to see the old, traditonal Greek chariot that she's often seen in her history textbook back at school; NOT a Maserati Spyder. She was pretty wealthy but not wealthy enough to have _that_ car. It almost made her reluctant to mess with it...almost.

"Oh, now he's just showing off." Freya growled, clutching the keys tightly in her hands. "I bet this is how he gets his girls; show up in his_ perfect_ car and flash his _perfect_ little smile. That'll get the girls swooning...yeah right."

Michael blinked owlishly, "Perfect little smile?"

A slight pink flush rushed up Freya's face as she punched Michael's shoulder. "Shut up! Forget what I said. Let's focus more on our plan."

Freya jumped over the car's front door and planted herself right on the driver's seat. "Oh~ comfy!"

"Um," Michael hesitated. "I think...I'll just stay out here."

"What?" Freya pouted at the son of Apollo. "Don't tell me you're chickening out already."

Michael sighed but backed away. "You wanted revenge, right? Not me. So... you do this, I'll just watch."

"Fine, but you'll be missing out on all the fun." With that said, Freya inserted the keys into the ignition and started the car.

The vehicle released a loud noise as the engine started up and the car came to life. Freya giggled like a maniac as she grabbed the steering wheel; the feeling of stealing Apollo's car sent adrenalin through her veins...which wasn't a good thing for a teen with ADHD. But her moment of happiness was cut short by a groan emitting from the back of the car.

A familiar blonde figure rose from the tight space behind the two seats of the car (How he got there, Freya will never know.) and stretched like an alley cat. That figure was none other than Apollo, the bane of Freya's existence.

"Hm?" He looked around the area aimlessly. "When did I start up my car?" Then he blinked sleepily as he looked at both Freya and Michael's shell-shocked expressions. When his still drowsy brain finally took in the fact that his car had started up without him and that _Freya_ was in the _driver's seat_, his expression went from shocked...to steaming mad.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Freya knew there was no way out of this situation.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE _YOU_," Apollo jabbed his finger at Freya, "DOING IN _MY_ SUN CHARIOT?!"

Freya didn't give a verbal answer instead her body went into overdrive and her foot slammed right onto the gas pedal, sending the sports car/sun chariot high into the sky and flying at high speed. Michael jumped out of the vehicle's way when Freya frantically turned the steering wheel to avoid hitting Argus' car, which was filled with unsuspecting demigods, and landed gracefully...into a nearby creek.

As the flying vehicle was flying around near the camp, all the campers who had been piling into various cars to go home stopped what they were doing and looked up to the sky with wide eyes and mouths dropped. Mr. D and Chiron also were staring at the chaos happening in the sky and they both could only think that this situation was NOT going to end well.

Seria scowled up at the sun chariot flying wildly in the sky. "Darn it! I didn't stop her in time."

"So Freya's at it again?"

Seria looked to her left at who was speaking to her; it was Cleo, who didn't look so amused at the scene that unfolding before them.

"Sadly, yes."

Cleo scoffed, "Let's just hope she doesn't get herself killed this time."

Back inside Apollo's sun chariot, Freya was screaming her lungs out as she frantically tried to _"drive"_ Apollo's airborne car away from the camp. The car formed chariot was flying uncontrollably in the air, almost crashing into various cabins one-too-many times. Below them campers, nymphs, satyrs and other camp inhabitants were running out of the vehicle's way, in hopes that none of them would get run over.

Apollo was able to climb into the only passenger's seat in his car and buckle himself in so that he wouldn't go flying out of his own car. He grabbed the steering wheel and tried to pry away from Freya's hold but the young demigod was holding on to it so tightly that Apollo could only manage to change the car's direction once in a while.

"LET GO OF THE WHEEL!" Screeched the Sun God, but his order fell upon deaf ears. Freya didn't release the wheel, she was too scared. It was then did Apollo realized how scared Freya was; she was scared stiff, her eyes were wide and teeth clenched so tightly she may just end up shattering her teeth.

Apollo's expression softened; he moved one of his arms to Freya's shoulder and gripped onto it tightly. "Freya!" He shook her slightly. "Loosen your grip on the steering wheel."

"I can't! We'll crash if I do!" Freya shook her head frantically. "This was a bad idea! I screwed up!"

Apollo silently agreed to that statement but now wasn't the time for that, he had to gain back control of his car and with Freya holding on to the steering wheel, that wouldn't be happening. "No we won't! Let me handle this! I promise you, we'll be safe...just let me take the wheel."

She didn't know why...but she released her grip on the steering wheel. At first the car suddenly took a lurch forward, plunging straight down for the ground. Freya released a blood curdling scream as she instinctively grabbed onto Apollo, pulling down on his leather jacket. Apollo grabbed onto the wheel and rose the car back up in a split second, just missing the ground by a few inches. But sadly, he wasn't able to raise it back high enough for it to avoid landing into a nearby lake... which it did.

Upon impact, a large wave of water crashed into the area surrounding the lake; dowsing the nearby campers with water. The car didn't sink that much but it was pretty obvious that both of its occupants were drenched as well.

A large crowd had rushed toward the lake, all of the campers were panicked; they feared that Apollo would be so angry, he'd really incinerate Freya (seeing as how many times he's said that particular threat to the demigod). Chiron and Mr. D finally caught up with everyone else and stared at the sun chariot, which was _innocently_ floating (yet slightly sunken) in the lake.

"Someone get some of the kids of Apollo Cabin here!" Called Chiron, "Freya may be injured...maybe even Lord Apollo!"

"Don't waste your breathe, Chiron." Mr. D didn't looked panicked at all; a usual stance for the Wine God. "Look," Everyone's gaze followed to where Mr. D was pointing and they were shocked; Apollo was walking towards them with Freya in arms.

Freya was curled up in Apollo's arms shivering; not from the fact that she was drenched from head to toe but from pure honest fear and for once, Apollo didn't look mad at her. Seria had seen that serious expression on his face before, he was worried and maybe upset...but Seria was unsure why. Maybe because his car had just taken a nose-dive into the lake... but that reason didn't match this particular expression. That expression he had was the same look on his face when she (at a younger age) had asked a seemingly innocent question about his love life, in which at the time she was unaware of the heartbreak that followed with that subject.

When they arrived on shore, Seria, Cleo, Percy, AND Thalia dashed toward the pair; worry evident in all of their faces. The other campers and Chiron decided to leave some space between Apollo and them, assuming that the Sun God would lose his temper any second.

"Apollo!" Seria cried, "Is she alright?" She looked at her friend with worry, gently clutching Freya's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Apollo gently placed Freya back on her two feet, his steely expression not changing not even when Freya reluctantly released her grip on the god's jacket. "She should be fine."

Cleo glared at Freya though it couldn't really be counted as a glare, her heart wasn't in it. She was way too worried about her best friend to seriously glare at her. "Freya Blake...gods what were YOU thinking? You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"I'm sorry..." Freya didn't look at anybody, she was scared still. When she first thought out that plan with Michael, it looked perfect and fool-proof...she should've thought about the chances of her freezing up and crashing the sun chariot.

Thalia sighed, staring at Apollo's sun chariot with a slight glare. "I'll go gather some campers to help move that car. If we're lucky, the kids from Ares Cabin may be in a _generous_ mood today." She walked away, hands clenching and unclenching as she walked; showing she certainly wasn't in a good mood.

On the topic of his sun chariot, Apollo finally took it upon himself to scold Freya. His steely expression morphed to that of pure rage; even Seria backed away from fear.

"Please enlighten me," Apollo seethed, his blue eyes glaring daggers at the red-head in front of him. "WHAT IN HADE'S NAME MADE YOU THINK THAT STEALING **MY** SUN CHARIOT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA?!"

Freya's attitude seemed to spark back up slightly, seeing as she met the god's eyes easily with the same flare of anger. "It was a prank; I thought it would be a good way to end the final day of camp."

"You thought stealing a god's divine item would be _funny_?" Apollo's expression was that of disbelief. "This is _serious_, Freya! You can't just do things like this just out of impulse! What you did would've probably earned you years in Tartarus or worse, ZEUS WOULD'VE FRIED YOU WITH A LIGHTNING STRIKE!"

"Oh and you'd love that wouldn't you?!" screeched the young teen, her hazel eyes darkening to a dark menacing brown. "You'd throw a huge party if I get erased from existence or killed, right? You'd celebrate that you wouldn't have to deal with _me_ anymore!"

Apollo ran his hand through his sun bleached hair; he was losing his patience with this girl. She frustrated him greatly and he didn't know why she does this in the first place. "What in Zeus' name did I do to make you so angry?!"

Freya scoffed, "Oh so you don't remember, Lord Apollo?" The way she called him that sent uncomfortable vibes through his body. "You seriously don't remember what you said to me?"

Apollo was dumbstruck. He was totally unaware of what he'd said to the young demigod that earned him this treatment.

"_After all you're still an unclaimed. I don't think anyone would mind your sudden demise._" Freya mockingly imitated Apollo's voice, her glare not wavering. Not. One. Bit. "Remember now, Sunny-D?" With the spin of her foot's eel, Freya stormed her way through the crowd of campers and back toward Hades Cabin to cool down.

Apollo was as still as a statue; his eyes were wide with shock and his mouth was slightly agape. Had he really said that to her?

The crowd of campers eventually dispersed, returning back to waiting for their parents to pick them up from camp save for the few who were year-rounders (which Seria was). A few of Apollo's kids who hadn't left the premises yet sent their father looks of disappointment, apparently they weren't aware of how cold his father could be on occasions. Even Seria left him behind this time.

"I screwed up, didn't I?" Apollo asked to no one in particular.

He was startled at the sudden reply that he had received from next to him. "Yes, yes you did." It was Percy and even he looked disappointed at the Sun God before disappearing into the crowd of demigods once more.

Apollo stood there near the lake for a little while longer. Regret, guilty...a thousand and one emotions were running though his head. How could he make it up to Freya? He doubts he'll even be able to do that.


	9. Deception

**A/N: **Oh my goodness! So sorry for the huge delay in this chapter D: School took over my time and I had little time for computer...or I was just too exhausted to even spare a moment to post anything; let alone write or draw. Anyways I'm here and back with a new chapter to the story; this time things are finally being set into motion. No more introductory chapters! It's time to get the story going! Now let's answer some reviews shall we?

**StarlightShivers**: Well, I'm glad you like my story so far but with what you say about Apollo just killing Freya on the spot; I'm sorry but even though he is an _"all-powerful Greek God"_ he is toned down a bit since the present time is different from Ancient Greek. No sudden smiting for him! As for the claiming; I think I've made it obvious that Freya _isn't_ a child of Apollo, so Apollo can't really claim her. So I hope you can... I don't know, get used to the way he acts; 'cause in my opinion, this is how I see him acting in the books. But thank you for voicing out your thoughts and opinions. :)

**I am Katie Daughter of Demeter:** My beloved Beta reader! :D You find the chapter intense? Well, okay XD I didn't think it would give off that reaction but hey, at least you enjoyed it! And of Apollo and Freya; well, keep an eye out for their interactions then. ;)

Okay now onto the story!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Percy Jackson series or any of its characters! They all belong to the series' author, Rick Riordan! I only own Seria, Cleo, and Freya; they are my OCs. This is purely fanmade; most of the scenes you'll read aren't even in the book, so shush!

* * *

**CLEO**

Cleo sighed as she leaned against the exterior of Aphrodite Cabin; because of Freya little stunt with Apollo's sun chariot, the crazed girl had earned herself an actual constant watch by the sun god. Unable to leave her friend alone with the deity that she had hated so much since the first day of camp, Cleo had decided to stay behind as well to also keep an eye on her friend. She made sure to tell Argus to give a message to her father as well as Freya's on their sudden change of plans before the eye-covered man drove off to take the other campers home.

"Hey," a voice snapped Cleo's train of thought. "Heard you decided to stay behind in camp, is that true?"

Looking up at the speaker, Cleo found herself face to face with Percy Jackson; the only son of Poseidon and the camper she found herself head over heels for.

With a deep sigh, Cleo answered Percy's question, making sure she doesn't stumble over her words. "Yeah, sadly it is. Freya got herself under camp lockdown, authorized by the camp's drama king, Apollo." She flicked away a strand of blonde hair that was obscuring her view. "As her friend, I took it upon myself to stay behind and keep Freya out of death's door."

Percy chuckled, "You and Freya seem pretty close. You two aren't exactly the type of people I imagined to be best friends."

Cleo scoffed; Percy wouldn't be the first to say that. "Yeah we are close. Freya and I literally grew up together, and despite our major age gap we somehow make our friendship work." Cleo shrugged, "I mean, c'mon...so far it hasn't caused either of us any problems, so why not?"

The son of Poseidon nodded his head, smiling down at Cleo. "Well, sadly I'm not a year-rounder anymore. In fact," he sighed, tugging on the strap of his backpack (how did Cleo not see that?). "I should go soon."

"Oh," a frown quickly replaced the smile that was on Cleo's face. "Well, I guess...I'll see you in the summer then."

Percy just smiled as he walked away, but he turned back around and sent Cleo a wink. "I'll make sure to Iris message you!" Then he was gone.

A dark flush appeared over Cleo's cream colored skin; Percy had just winked at her! Cleo's heart felt like a bunch of the Hephaestus kids were hammering down on it. Then she noticed something. "What the heck is an Iris message?"

**FREYA**

Inside the infirmary, Freya was getting checked over by the few Apollo kids that were year-rounders in the camp. The red headed girl had a deep frown on her face; she was still angry at Apollo after their little spout a few hours ago. Sure, she stole his sun chariot and crashed it into the camp lake but he insulted her in the worst way possible.

_'You're just an unclaimed, Freya~'_ A mocking version of Apollo sang in her mind; worsening Freya's mood by a million percent. _'I'm sure no one would miss you if I got rid of you~'_

"No one would miss me?! Oh! I'll show that big-headed jerk!" Freya slammed her fist onto the table next to her; startling the girl that was tending to her bruises. "He'll regret ever messing with me!"

"Oh~ scary."

Freya whipped her head around to see who was chuckling. To her surprise, it was Michael Yew.

"Michael! Oh my gods, what happened to you?"

The bruenette archer was drenched head-to-toe with water, various amounts of cuts riddled his arms and face, and a few twigs and leaves were stuck in his now damp, drooping hair. It looked like Michael had taken a dip in the ocean and got spat back out by Poseidon.

"Ah," Michael rubbed his shoulder sheepishly. "Well, when you were driving dad's chariot...you almost ran right into me. So...I jumped into the creek nearby to save myself."

It took all of Freya's willpower not to smile. "Oh geez...s-sorry."

"Nah, its fine," Michael sat down on the edge of Freya's bed with a grin on his face. "But enough about me," he looked at Freya with a serious glint in his eye. "Are _you_ okay? Everyone's saying that you and my-...Apollo, had a pretty nasty fight after you sent his chariot down into the lake. So, I'm wondering if you're okay after that."

Freya looked down at her hands and sighed. Trust Michael to figure out when she's upset or not. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Michael rolled his eyes, "Yeah, right." He didn't believe that, not one bit. "Freya, you've got to tell me the truth. You've got friends that care about here...but we can't do anything to help you if you're just going to keep it all in."

Freya snorted, this was so ironic; Michael was telling her the same stuff she told Seria. "Thanks Mike."

Michael smiled, patting Freya's back reassuringly. "No prob. Now, why don't we head on over to the Dining Pavilion for some dinner, eh?"

Freya immediately got out of the bed and grabbed Michael. "Why didn't you offer that in the first place? C'mon!"

Michael and Freya were all smiles when they ran out of the infirmary together; ignoring the angry calls of the Apollo camper that was placed in charge of the area.

**SERIA**

Inside the Dining Pavilion, it was quieter than usual; what with the lack of campers now. Seria sat in the Hades table, staring out into the night sky. She didn't know why but she had this feeling...that things were going to change soon. Whether it'd be for the best or worst, she didn't know. But if there's one thing she knew for sure...was that Apollo finally got a taste of his own medicine.

From the corner of her eye, the daughter of Hades could see Apollo's slouched position at his cabin's table. Usually she'd go over to him and try to cheer him up but today, he needs to deal with his mistakes without her help. He had chosen a poor set of words on the day he formally met Freya and now, he was paying for it. Speaking of Freya...

The ever-so silent child of Hades watched as her cabin-mate dashed into the premises hand in hand with one of Apollo's kids...Michael Yew, was it? She noticed how happy and relaxed Freya was with this particular boy, and how the latter was also quite content with being around Freya. The way they were holding hands; fingers interlaced and squeezed tightly, Freya knew that as a way to hold hands with someone that you truly care about. A bitter smile spread across Seria's pale features as she remembered an old flame, a flame that was never truly acknowledged and had been extinguished far too quickly. As she continued to watch her friend socialize with the child of Apollo, Seria noticed that she wasn't alone; Apollo was watching the two as well with a slight spark in his eyes.

Seria smirked; Apollo's angry stare PLUS Freya seemingly flirting with one of his kids, put one and one together and it was pretty obvious that Apollo...was jealous. She sent Apollo a teasing stare with a smirk to match. When Apollo caught her gaze, she almost laughed when his face turned as red as the spaghetti that was being served for dinner tonight.

Speaking of dinner, Seria looked down at her barely eaten portion. She really didn't have much of an appetite tonight, so she just took down what was left in her goblet and got up from her seat. She felt the stares of the other campers fall upon her but she paid them no heed as she walked away from the Dining Pavilion.

From what Chiron had told her, walking out of the camp's boundaries was still not allowed, in fact it was now being heavily enforced. He even hired harpies to act as night guards for Pete's sake! Seria smirked, not like it mattered anyway. She was a child of Hades, God of the Underworld; Seria had the ability to meld into the shadows and move as one.

When she spotted a harpy flying close by, Seria shut her eyes and focused on the darkness. With a light whooshing sound, the demigod looked like she had disappeared on the spot, when she was really now hidden in the shadows and moved faster than any other child of Hermes could wish to move. Seria relished the feeling of shadow-traveling; the feeling that the air was jetting by you, the chill of being a shadow, heck...she even loved how the scenery seemed to just pass by her so quickly, creating an odd meld of colors around her. By the time she felt the feeling disappear, Seria found herself in the forest near the camp; it was the same forest that looked out upon the city of New York, the same forest she was at on the day she took up the Medusa quest.

Shaking off that bad memory, Seria let out a sigh of relief and leaned against one of the pine trees in the forest. The slight chill in the air showed the autumn was rushing in and it calmed the dark demigod. Seria pulled her jacket closer to her thin frame and closed her eyes, relaxing in the calm, quiet forest atmosphere. She loved being in the forest, she loved it so much that Seria often wondered how she probably could've passed as a child of Demeter if she wanted.

_Snap!_

The sound of a branch breaking, snapped Seria out of her relaxed state. She quickly turned around and brought her swords out of their ring form, pointing them aimlessly out unto the darkness. "Who's there?" Seria called, glaring at the dark abyss. "Show yourself!"

"Hey, put those away." An almost hauntingly familiar voice called out. "You might poke someone's eye out with those things."

Seria lowered her swords a few inches as she took a step closer to the source of the voice. "Show yourself." She ordered out again.

"Alright, alright." The figure stepped out into the moonlight, revealing familiar blonde figure. Seria almost couldn't believe it but the scar on the figure's cheek was the key give-away.

"Luke?" Seria felt like someone had just punched her in the gut. Luke, the demigod that had freed her from her stoned form and the traitor of the camp; what was he doing here?

Luke flashed Seria a toothy grin. "Oh, so you still remember me? Good, 'cause I actually wanted to ta-"

A quick swipe of a sword cut off Luke's sentence. The blade just missed Luke's chest by mere centimeters but it did leave a cut where the blade just barely grazed the fabric of Luke's shirt.

"Whoa!" Luke jumped back, "Seria, wait!" Another blade swipe was dodged. "L-Let me explain first!"

As he dodged another blade swipe, Luke managed to grab hold of Seria's wrists, stopping her from attacking him again. To ensure that she wouldn't escape his grip, Luke pulled the girl closer to his body as a way to limit her body movement.

"There," the ex-camper was gasping for breath but he managed to shoot Seria a smile. "Now, please...let me explain myself."

"Explain yourself?!" Seria snarled, "Why should you explain yourself? I already know you for what you are; a traitor! So don't think you can sweet-talk me into switching over to that Titan's side just because you saved me!"

A flash of sadness seemed to flicker over Luke's eyes but Seria shook that thought off, it was probably just another trick. "Please, Seria...just hear me out," Luke begged. "I know I work for Kronos and betrayed everyone at camp...but, saving you...meeting you changed that."

"_Changed that?_" Seria raised a thin eyebrow. "What are you talking about? How did meeting me change the fact that you work for that...that monster?!"

"At first, I thought working for Kronos would help me enact my revenge on the gods." Luke sighed. "But I thought wrong. His goals and my goals are totally different and I find myself in a tight position now that you're in the picture."

"What?"

"Seria," A serious look was on Luke's face. "Kronos wants to use _you_ as a weapon to bring Olympus crashing to the ground."

Seria's eyes widened in shock. "Me?! As a weapon to take down Olympus? Why me?!"

Now it was Luke's turn to look confused. "Chiron didn't tell you about the prophecy?"

"What prophecy? Chiron didn't tell me anything about a prophecy." In fact, Chiron nowadays tells her very little. As if all those years of trust between them was now nothing to the centaur.

"Years ago, during the Second World War, Chiron showed the gods a prophecy that pertains to a child of one of the Big Three that will choose to either save Olympus or destroy it by the time they turn sixteen."

Seria felt like someone had chilled her soul to a freezing temperature. Now she understood why Chiron didn't tell her this, she was a child of Hades, one of the Big Three, and...she'll be turning sixteen next year. Suddenly, she felt the weight of the world being put upon her shoulders. What if she was the child of the prophecy?

Luke saw the look on Seria's face and he held her hands tightly in a reassuring grip. "That's why I'm here," He said. "I wanted to warn you about all this."

"But," Seria looked down at her shoes, feeling tears build up in her eyes. So many secrets were being kept from her, it really hurt. "Why? Why are you warning me? You barely even know me, Luke."

Luke smiled down at the girl; it was a smile that made Seria's heart skip a few beats. "Yeah, I know...but I'd like to change that." The look on Seria's face pulled on Luke's heartstrings but he ignored the sensation. Luke reached his hand down into his pocket and pulled out a gold pocket watch with the symbol of Hermes carved onto the casing and placed it in Seria's hand.

Seria looked at the watch in confusion. "What's this for? Don't you all have digital clocks to tell the time nowadays?" It wasn't like she didn't like it, in fact she liked the pocket watch...but why did Luke give this to her?

Luke chuckled, taking out a pocket watch that resembled the one in Seria's hand only it had the symbol of Hades on the casing. "It's not an ordinary pocket watch; you can use it as a way to reach me privately. Meaning, no one, not even your dad or mine, can track the call. It'll be just a way for us to communicate...alone."

She didn't know why but when Luke emphasized the _alone_ part, Seria could feel the blood rush to her cheeks. She looked at the pocket watch and marveled at its beautiful craftmanship. "Thank you, Luke."

"No prob," Luke smiled at Seria. "I just want to make sure you're safe from time to time."

"But what about you?" Seria unconciously held onto the fabric of Luke's shirt tightly. "You're always with Kronos. What if he finds out about what you're doing?"

Luke sighed. "Don't worry about me. What matters," he held Seria closer to him, "Is that you're okay and out of Kronos' grasp. But what happens to you when you're sixteen, I can only hope that the gods don't decide to kill you on the spot."

From the distance, Seria could hear Freya calling out her name. No doubt they've already noticed her sudden disappearance from camp.

"I think you should go now." Luke looked at the camp with slight distaste. "Wouldn't want you to get caught with a traitor."

Seria nodded her head, she made her swords revert back to their ring form and pocketed Luke's little gift. Before she turned away from the boy, Seria quickly kissed Luke's cheek. "You're not a traitor to me, Luke." Seria didn't wait to see Luke's reaction, instead she quickly shadow-traveled back to camp, leaving the son of Hermes to his thoughts.

When she arrived inside her cabin, Seria was smiling; Luke really wasn't her enemy, he had proven that to her tonight. The daughter of Hades brought out the pocket watch that Luke had given her and held it tightly near her heart. Her premonition earlier was indeed true, this was the change...and it was for the best. Her eyes narrowed at the thought of the prophecy, if someone had to be her enemy it would be Chiron. The centaur may have been her former guardian but he hid something extremely important to her, something life-changing.

_'I can trust Luke...'_ Seria smiled, _'I can really trust him.'_

* * *

Luke stood there in the forest, flustered at what had just transpired. Seria really trusted him, he actually managed to win her over but...why did he feel so guilty? He's tricked people before; Annabeth, Percy, everyone at camp, so why was Seria any different?

"It's probably nothing." Luke mumbled, shaking his head. Taking one last look at Camp Half-Blood, Luke walked off towards the darkness. Along the way a shadowy figure materialized next to the traitorous demigod. The figure had two different colored eyes; one brown and one blue...like an alley cat's. It was a man dressed sharply in military attire. Well, the figure could've passed as a regular man if it weren't for the sharp row of teeth gleaming in his smile.

"I see you've managed to deceive the child," a heavy French accent could be heard in the man's voice. "The general and Lord Kronos will be pleased in your accomplishment. But I do not think they'll be too happy in hearing that you have gotten...attached to the target."

Luke glared at the man. "Shut your trap, Thorn. I've done my part, now it's your turn to do the same." The demigod smirked when he saw the irritated expression on the man's face.

"I do not take orders from you, demigod."

"Oh, but you do now." A hint of superiority can be heard in Luke's tone of voice. "Kronos told you that. Now go search for those other two demigods that he sensed nearby." A sinister smirk overtook the kind smile that was once on Luke's face. "Our army needs to be stronger in order to take down the Gods of Olympus. Now scat, manticore."

The figure disappeared at Luke's given order.

Luke was alone once more but he relished his solitude... just as much Seria enjoyed hers. Despite the guilt weighing down in his heart, a sense of pride gleamed through. He managed to trick another child of the Big Three, so he took some pride in that thought. After all, deception was an all-too sweet and familiar poison to Luke.


	10. Westover Hall

**A/N: **Hey guys! Here's the next chapter of the story and I hope you like this one! Let's get this story on the road shall we? Oh and, please hit that review button and leave me some sort of feedback about what you thought of the story so far! It's greatly appreciated!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Percy Jackson and the Olympions nor any of its characters! They all belong to Rick Riordan, the author of the book series. I only own the OCs that you see in the story!

* * *

A few months had past after Seria's little encounter with Luke and the sole child of Hades found herself spending most of her time using the little pocket watch shaped communicator to talk to Luke than anything else. Well, sometimes Seria would take it upon herself to hang around some of the campers to learn more about the _"modern" _world; by "_some of the campers"_, Seria actually went to the Stoll brothers for _lessons_ on modern terms, et cetera, et cetera. But back on the Luke topic, Seria and the apparent traitor-of-the-camp made calls and check-ups on each other; often it was Luke who initiated the calls, but sometimes Seria would call him as well. Like what she's doing now...

"So how are things with Kronos?" To others, it would look like Seria was talking to herself but really; she was talking to a misty projection of Luke that was emitted by the pocket watch. How it worked was that whenever Seria pressed the button on top of the gold watch, the casing would instantly snap open and connect to Luke almost instantly and how to know if she had a call, the carving of Hermes' caduceus would glow lightly to alert Seria of an incoming call.

Luke sighed, rubbing the back of his neck; Seria noticed that Luke tends to rub the back of his neck a lot when he's nervous. "Well, I guess its okay."

Seria raised her eyebrow; some alarm was evident in her eyes. "Just _okay_? Luke, this is the first time I've ever heard you sound so...unsure about something." She leaned closer to the projection. "Did something happen? What's going on over there?"

An almost bitter smile spread across Luke's face. "Looks like you already figured me out, Seria. You could seriously tell when I'm not feeling so good."

Seria almost blushed at the compliment but allowed herself to keep her calm composure.

"Anyway," Luke averted his eyes for a few minutes. "Kronos is planning something, Seria. And for once in my life, I have no idea what's going to happen here." Luke looked thoroughly distraught. "All I could piece together is that it's not good. Kronos sent some really tough monster out into the city. I don't know if he's sending it after you... or if something else caught his eye."

_'Something else?'_ Seria pursed her lips; just recently, Luke had revealed to her about her possible involvement in a prophecy that had Olympus' survival (and possibly the world's) in the balance. So if Kronos sent a monster after her, she wouldn't be so surprised, but if it wasn't her that Kronos was currently after than who?

"I really wish I had something more useful to share with you," admitted Luke. "Sending you out blind isn't really something I'm comfortable with."

Seria smiled; Luke was sort of cute whenever he worried about her, but he should know that she was very much capable of defending herself. "Don't worry Luke, I'll be fine. Besides," She brought the pocket watch closer to her face so it would be like she was talking to Luke at eye level. "What you told me was helpful and I thank you for it."

"No problem."

Seria glanced at the digital clock, a present from the Stoll brothers, that now stood on her onyx carved bedside table; it was already one PM. Seria grimaced, she was supposed to meet Chiron at the Big House soon. Apparently, her ex-guardian wanted to tell her something.

"Sorry Luke, I have to go. Chiron is expecting me in front of the Big House soon." She looked at the boy with apologetic eyes, "I'll try to contact you again soon."

Luke nodded. "Okay, but not too soon. I don't want either of us getting caught communicating."

Seria silently agreed. After bidding Luke farewell, she ended the connection and immediately rushed to get her old military boots on. She haphazardly threw on her usual winter jacket and quickly rushed out the door only...to run into a passing camper.

"Oof!"

As Seria and the camper collided, the child of Hades was sent backwards and landed bum first on the now, snowy ground.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry." Seria scrambled back up to her feet, patting snow off of her pants. She looked up at who she ran into and found herself staring at a pair of narrowed, dark brown eyes.

The camper was male, extremely tall (probably around 6 feet at least.) yet lanky and he had extremely white skin, hinting that he probably stayed inside more often than usual and had some pretty big bags under his eyes; maybe he usually doesn't get much sleep. He had dark brown (but looked pretty close to being black) hair that was incredibly shaggy and had so many layers that it made his hair resemble that of a puffy mop. The boy was dressed in the usual orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt only with a black snow parka hanging off his thin frame, faded jeans, and a pair of purple sneakers; on the side of his jeans, hanging from his belt, was a dagger. In the white snowy background, the boy resembled an angry snow covered crow.

The boy glared darkly at Seria. "Yeah, watch where you're going next time, kid." Then he briskly walked past the girl, bumping her along the way.

Being as old-fashioned as always (being from the 1940s tends to make you that way), Seria didn't tolerate the camper's behavior towards her; Not. One. Bit. So she quickly followed the boy, making an effort to keep up with his pace; which was fairly easy since he walked so slowly.

"I'm _not_ a kid," Seria made sure to emphasize the _"not"_. "Last time I checked, I'm supposedly seventy plus years older than you, bucko."

The boy stopped where he was and glared at Seria through the corner of his eye. "Listen, kid," he ignored the way Seria fumed at him for using the _"k word"_ around her again. "I know who you are and all that crud, but to be honest, I don't care about your parental god, your story, etc. So do me a favor, go away." He walked away again, this time Seria didn't follow.

Instead, she just glared at his retreating form before whipping her whole body in the other direction. "Gods, I wonder what's _his_ problem?" Seria growled.

Just when she was about to turn around, a pair of arms lunged at Seria, grabbing her by her neck, and dragged her in the exact opposite direction that she was suppose to be going.

"Agh," Seria grunted at the force the arms grabbed her. "What the-?" Seria looked at her assailants and was greeted by two identical smirks and two pairs of light blue eyes that just screamed the word _"mischievous"_. Seria knew only two people who could be identified with those features and they were...

"Travis and Connor Stoll," Seria sighed. "To what do I owe this pleasurable encounter?"

The two sons of Hermes grinned; their grins always meant trouble was afoot.

"Pleasurable?" chuckled Travis; Seria could tell it was him because Travis was a few inches taller than Connor. "Sers, if you think us just grabbing you from behind is _'pleasurable' _than you haven't seen nothing yet."

Connor smirked at Seria, switching his hold to her waist than her neck. "In fact, why don't you give one of us a chance to show you the..._'Stoll brother charm'_?"

Seria shivered, not from excitement but from how uncomfortable it was to have Connor's arm around her waist. She _politely_ shoved Connor's arm away from her waistline and stepped out of Travis' hold on her shoulder. "Sorry Connor," she glared lightly at the younger Stoll. "But I'm not interested."

Travis busted out into laughter on how fast Connor was shot down, but took the chance to step up towards Seria; looking down at her with the same smirk that was once on Connor's face. "So if not Connor, what about me?"

For Travis' advancement, Seria actually smiled (If you can call a slight twitch of her mouth a smile.) and Travis actually thought that he'd scored this one. "Sorry," Travis' smirk fell almost instantly. "Travis, you and Connor are like _twins_. You look almost alike and share an almost identical personality to boot! So if I reject Connor, why would I treat you any different?"

"Ouch..." Both boys winced, clutching their chests dramatically as if Seria had wounded them both. "Geez Seria, that's harsh."

Seria chuckled; shaking her head at the two brothers. "Oh please, you boys always do this to the other girls in camp. I bet you're used to getting rejected."

The brothers looked at each other for a few seconds before they grinned. "Yeah, that's true."

"Well, any who," Seria stepped away from the Stolls. "I've got to meet up with Chiron. I'll deal with you two later."

Turning away from the two brothers, Seria once again caught sight of the rude demigod she bumped into earlier. He wasn't looking at her but he was staring at somebody from afar. Seria followed his gaze and noticed that he was looking at Sam, the daughter of Dionysus or Mr. D, as everybody calls him that.

"Looks like Noctis is at it again, eh, brother dear?" Once again, the Stoll brothers wrapped one of their arms over Seria's shoulder. The two boys looked at the brunette demigod with a mix of the usual mischievousness and a dash of pity.

Seria looked at the Stolls with surprise. "You know him?"

Connor shrugged. "Not really. But he's rather infamous around camp...well, probably not to you given your particular circumstances and what-not."

"But that's Noctis Venice, y'know like the Italian city. He's the son of Hypnos, God of Sleep." Travis explained, "he's in our cabin 'cause he's a minor demigod. So of course, _we_ know who he is."

Well at least she now knew the name of the boy who ran into her, Seria mused. But she still wondered why Noctis was staring at Mr. D's daughter. Might as well ask the Stoll brothers, but they both beat her to it.

"If you're gonna ask why he's staring at little Miss Sammy," Connor jerked his head over to the tanned girl who was tending to the strawberry fields, which shouldn't be possible since it was winter...but Seria supposed being a child of Dionysus had some of its perks. "Then you've come to the right people."

"You see Seria," Travis picked up. "Noctis is hopelessly in love with Mr. D's precious little girl, which is a rather dangerous thing since Mr. D's the stereotypical _'Touch my daughter and you're dead!'_ type of dad."

"If he likes her," Seria sighed. "Then why doesn't he just go right up and talk to-" Seria's sentence died off when she saw a boy with extremely moppy blonde hair approach Sam and hug her from behind, planting a kiss right on the girl's cheek. "Oh..."

"Yeah, it's so tragic." Connor sighed as if he was a hopeless romantic himself. "Sam's heart is already taken by Alfonso, son of Apollo. So all he can do is watch his true love, love another from afar." Connor then dramatically threw himself to his brother and began to sob dramatically, like he just witnessed an extremely tragic play.

"Wow," Seria stared at Sam laugh happily as Alfonso continued to hug her tight. "Apollo's kids sure do get around."

A moment of silence passed the trio, then the twin brothers busted into a fit of hysterical laughter. "Oh we've taught you well, Seria!" they cried. Seeing as the two were busy laughing themselves into a stupor, Seria took this chance to leave them behind and head on over to the Big House.

When she finally caught sight of the giant building, Seria could already see Chiron sitting in the front porch with Mr. D playing a game of cards, as they always do. As she got closer, Chiron spotted her and immediately placed his cards down.

"Ah, Seria," cried the centaur. "Perfect timing!"

"Yes," mused Mr. D,. "Chiron here was about to lose the game for the twentieth time in a row."

Seria bit back a smile as Chiron sent a frustrated look towards the wine god, who simply sipped his can of Diet Coke. "You wanted to see me Chiron?"

"Yes, well," Chiron turned his wheelchair so that he could be facing Seria. "I need to ask you to accompany Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth to Westover Hall, located in Bar Harbor, Maine."

Seria raised an eyebrow, "Westover Hall? You mean that military boarding school? Why do you need me- no scratch that, ALL of us to go way over there?" If Chiron needed to bring the children of the Big Three together, than this quest must've been extremely dangerous plus...Bar Harbor was eight hours away by car (even by Pegasus flight) if you don't get caught in traffic that is. (Seria had Annabeth to thank for teaching her about the geography of modern day America and of its ways of transportation.)

Chiron folded his hands over the quilt that was draped over his fake human legs. "Do you remember the satyr that was with you on the day you returned to camp?"

"Yes. Grover, right?"

Chiron nodded. "Correct. Well Percy has informed me of an urgent distress call that he had received from Grover." A serious expression overtook the centaur's usually friendly face. "We sent Grover to Westover Hall to search for any demigods that may reside there. With the threat of Kronos' return rising, we need to ensure that we retrieve all of the demigods in nearby areas to camp in order to prevent Kronos from contaminating their minds with thoughts to join his army."

Seria frowned. "Do you think Grover was attacked?"

"I do not know, but we must check." Chiron handed Seria the usual backpack filled with the necessary items often needed whenever he sends demigods out of the camp; a few golden drachma, a bag of ambrosia squares, a water bottle filled with nectar, and a few other essentials.

Seria grabbed the backpack and hoisted it over her shoulder. Her swords, which were in their ring form around each of her index fingers, sent a tingling sensation throughout Seria's hand. This only happened when they sensed danger; apparently this quest might be dangerous. "When do you want me to leave?"

Before Chiron could answer, the door to the Big House was slammed open, revealing both Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, and Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. Both girls had similar backpacks over their shoulders and their weapons were hanging off their holdings.

"Now, would be good." Thalia said.

_'Trust Chiron to volunteer me to join a quest last minute.'_ Seria sent a cold glare to the centaur before facing Thalia. "Let's go."

* * *

When you think about going towards unknown danger, you'd often think that you'd have some really cool way of transportation. Seria, personally, often enjoyed taking a Pegasus ride to her destination. But for this particular quest, Seria found herself in the backseat of Percy's mother's car, listening to the woman spout extremely embarrassing baby stories about Percy. Looking over at Percy, who was sitting right next to her, she couldn't help but feel _a little_ sorry for him; it took a lot of pride for a son of Poseidon to withstand hearing his own mother telling stories about the time he had an _'accident'_ when he was five in front of three teenage girls. Percy's just lucky Cleo wasn't here to listen in on this comedy g-...I mean...embarrassment.

But deep down, Seria couldn't help but feel a little jealous; Percy had a loving mother that constantly worried about him and even call him through Iris message just to check on him from time to time. Seria on the other hand, her mother didn't really care. During the short time that she'd spent with her mother, it became obvious that the woman couldn't stand being around Seria; which explains why she instantly dropped her off at Camp Half-Blood when she was six...and never came back.

When Ms. Jackson pulled over in front of Westover Hall, Seria could just see the relief wash over Percy's face; the embarrassment has finally ended. As they exited out of the car, Sally Jackson popped her head out of the window in the driver's seat. "Are you sure you don't want me to wait?"

Percy let out an exasperated sigh but he smiled at his mom. "No mom, we'll be okay."

"But how will you get back?" Percy's mom pressed on. "I'm worried Percy." Seria could definitely tell she was with the way she eyed their weapons.

Annabeth stepped forward to reassure the worried mother. "It'll be alright, Ms. Jackson. We'll keep an eye on Percy."

"Yeah," Seria piped up, sending a reassuring smile to the woman. "He'll be safe with us."

Sally nodded and sent a thankful smile our way, but she continued to question. "Percy do you have everything you need? Ambrosia? Nectar?" Now it was Seria's turn to release an exasperated sigh. "Oh, did you pack your sweater too? It's awfully cold tonight."

Percy facpalmed. "Mom, seriously, we'll be fine. Come on guys." Percy literally grabbed Annabeth and Seria's hands and began to drag them further away from his mother's car.

A flash of hurt went across Sally Jackson's face and it took every ounce of willpower inside Seria to not smack Percy upside the head and tell him to apologize; his mom was just making sure he'd be okay, there was no reason for him to be so rude. But Seria did nothing and the four of them watched as Sally's car disappeared as it drove down the snow covered road.

"Your mom's really cool, Perc." Thalia muttered, her eyes locked onto the Japanese compact until it finally was no longer seen through the snow.

"Yeah, I guess she's cool." Percy sighed. "What about you and your mom, Thalia?"

A pregnant silence over took the group. Seria knew that was _not_ a safe subject to bring up with Thalia. In fact the daughter of Zeus gave Percy an evil look, sparks of electricity going off in her hands. "If that was any of your business, Percy-"

"We should get inside," Annabeth interrupted. "Grover's probably waiting for us."

Thalia nodded her head, shivering slightly from the cold. "You're right." She looked up at the castle known as Westover Hall, "I wonder what Grover found that he'd send out a distress call."

Seria looked up at the supposed military school; it was a dark menacing building that had quite a number of windows. With the white, snowy background, it only made Westover Hall look even more intimidating than it already was. "Nothing good, that's for sure." Then against every nerve that screamed of the possible dangers that they might face, the group ventured in.


	11. Of Demigods and Runaways

**A/N: **YAY! Let us celebrate for we have reached DOUBLE DIGITS for this story! That means we're catching up to the current number of chapters that I'd already written and posted on my dA! So before we begin, lets answer some reviews! Shall we?

**I am Katie Daughter of Demeter:** Why yes, this takes place during The Titan's Curse. I did say that GwF centers around most of the Percy Jackson books. :D

_**Jordan:** _A Percabeth shipper, I take it? I like the pairing but this is an OC-centric story. If you're not open to Percy/OC pairings, may I politely ask you to turn the other way, instead of pushing me to write Percabeth. It isn't a favorite of mine and I'd appreciate that you'd respect my decision. But thank you for sharing your thoughts.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Percy Jackson series nor any of its characters. They all rightfully belong to the series' author, Rick Riordan. I only own the OCs that you see here.

On with the story!

* * *

When the giant oak doors opened, the group of four cautiously entered the vicinity. All of them gawked at the size of the school's entry hall; the interior was just as intimidating as the exterior, only this time it was more dangerous. Various weapons of all kinds were lined up against the wall; ranging from but not limited to swords, axes, antique rifles, and many more. Seria couldn't help but feel that they had just stepped into the Hunger Games...or at least this is what she imagined while reading the book series (Thank Annabeth for finding an Ancient Greek version for her).

Thalia whistled at the sight of all the weapons. "Overkill."

Percy could only agree as he just stared wide-eyed at the blades they had displayed in one section of the wall. "Do you think they actually let the kids here use these?"

"It's a military school," Seria grumbled. "Seeing as how none of these weapons have a casing of some sort...maybe they do, maybe they don't."

"Guys, focus." Annabeth shook her head in dismay. "We need to find out where-"

Without warning, the oak doors behind them slowly began to close. Percy tried to grab one of the doors but the two giant slabs of wood slammed shut, emitting a loud bang that echoed throughout the entry hall.

"Well," Percy sighed. "Looks like we'll be staying here for a while."

They all hid their overnight packs behind one of the huge pillars in the entry hall before venturing further into the school. The hallways were dark and gloomy and just seemed to radiate the feel of danger. It made Seria feel uneasy and judging by how Percy and the others looked, she could tell she wasn't alone in that thought. Everyone slowly reached for their weapons; a fight was bound to happen, they could tell. The whole scenario would've been more tense...if it weren't for the dance music faintly being echoed further up the hallway that they were in.

"Dance music?" Annabeth looked puzzled. "Why would they being playing-"

"Sh," Thalia placed a finger on Annabeth's mouth. In the lighting, Thalia's electric blue eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, making her resemble a wolf hunting for its prey. "Listen."

The group fell silent as they tried to listen in on what Thalia was hearing. If she ignored the bass of the dance music, Seria could actually hear footsteps coming towards them.

"Someone's coming!" Seria hissed.

The group braced themselves to face a monster but instead, what came toward them were two adults wearing military uniforms with red trim. They both had gray hair; one was a woman with a wispy mustache and the other was a man who was clean-shaven. To be honest, Seria thought it would've been the other way around but what caught her eye was the man; he had two different colored eyes, one brownish-yellow and one blue...like an alley-cat's.

"Well," growled the woman. "What are you all doing here?"

Everyone was silent, they didn't really plan for this encounter. In fact, they were too distracted by the stories that Percy's mom kept droning on about to even plan their way to _infiltrate_ Westover Hall.

Percy hesitated to answer."Well, ma'am-"

He didn't even get to say anything further than that before the man with the two different colored eyes cut him off. "Hah!" His yell made everyone flinch. "Visitors are _not_ allowed at the dance! You shall be _ee-jected_!"

The man had a French accent; the way he pronounced his _j's_ was like how you would pronounce _Jacque. _He was freakishly tall, taller than that demigod, Noctis whom Seria had run into earlier. His face was sharp and his gaze was very intimidating but with the way he talked, his nostrils always flared which made it _really_ hard _not_ to look up his nose.

Before the two of them could do anything further, Thalia stepped forward and had a look on her face that could probably make any hardened veteran cry. She snapped her fingers and suddenly, a light gust of wind seemed to move through the hall. The two military clad adult's eyes widened as if they had seen some sort of ghost. "Oh but we're not visitors, sir." Seria looked at Thalia with wide eyes; when did Thalia learn how to manipulate the Mist? "We go to school here. I'm Thalia, this is Annabeth, Percy, and Seria. We're in the eighth grade, remember?"

The man narrowed his eyes at Thalia as if he wanted to attack her on the spot but he hesitated. Instead he turned to the woman. "Ms. Gottschalk," both Percy and Seria had to bite back their laughter when they heard the woman's name; Ms. _Got chalk_? Seriously? "Do you know these children?"

The woman looked like she'd just woken up from sleep; Ms. Gottschalk looked at everyone with a mix of recognition and confusion. "Yes, I think I do." Once again she took up a serious front. "What are you all doing outside of the dance?"

Before anyone else could answer, more footsteps echoed across the hall only these were more rushed. From the end of the hall, Grover came running towards the group. When he spotted Percy and the others a look of relief and joy enveloped his features. "You made it!" He yelled, "You- Oh..."

Grover noticed Ms. Gottschalk and the hawk-eyed man standing right in front of the group of demigods. "Ms. Gottschalk! Dr. Thorn! Um, I-"

"What is it, Mr. Underwood?" The man, whose name was apparently Dr. Thorn, looked at Grover with distaste. "What do you mean _they made it_? They live here."

"Uh, of course," Grover stammered. "I meant that they made the punch for the dance. It's really awesome!"

Seria held her breathe as Dr. Thorn's expression changed to something close to pure anger. She thought this quest was now over and it was all thanks to Grover. But then Ms. Gottschalk smiled dreamily, something that really doesn't fit with someone of her stature.

"Yes, the punch is indeed excellent." She looked at the group of demigods. "Now run along, all of you. You are not allowed to leave the gymnasium again!"

The whole group nodded their heads and said a multitude of "Yes ma'am"'s and "Yes sir"'s and threw a few salutes in because it seemed appropriate. Then they scattered down the hall and followed the music to the gymnasium. Seria didn't know why but as they ran off, she had a feeling Dr. Thorn was staring at them the whole time. It sent shivers running down her spine.

* * *

When they arrived in the gymnasium, Seria gaped at the sight. She'd never been to a school dance before and the gym looked pretty cool. There were colored lights hanging from the gym's ceiling, flashing various colors like red and blue throughout the room. Red and black balloons were hanged everywhere, streamers were thrown across the gymnasium, and the boom of the music could be felt in her body. The kids though didn't look so enthusiastic save for the various groups of girls; they were all grouped together wearing gaudy dresses and were completely caked with make-up. They almost reminded Seria of the girls in Aphrodite Cabin.

"Thank the gods, you guys made it." Grover smiled at the group. "Sorry, I put you guys on the spot like that."

"No problem. It's good to see you again, Grover." Percy gave the satyr a high-five while Annabeth and Thalia went in for a hug. Seria just stood awkwardly out of the little friend reunion; she didn't really know Grover all that well but the satyr did help her get back to camp when she was freed from her stone imprisonment.

"Good to see you, Grover." Seria piped up, an awkward little smile on her pale face.

"Same here," the satyr hugged the daughter of death, catching her off guard. "You enjoying camp?"

"Yeah, thanks again for bringing me back to Camp Half-Blood."

"No prob," Grover smiled; though he didn't show it, Seria knew he appreciated the thanks.

"So what's with the distress call?" Thalia asked; she eyed the group of giggling girls across with them with disgust. "And whatever we need to do here, can we make it quick?"

Grover leaned in closer to the group and said in a low voice, "I found two of them."

"Two half-bloods?"

Grover nodded.

Now Seria understood why Chiron asked her to go with Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth. Half-bloods were usually a rare occurrence and usually it was only one half-blood from one particular god every year. Having two in Westover Hall just heightened the danger meter. Demigods have a particular scent, a scent that monsters rely on to hunt and kill demigods. Now Seria understood the role Percy, Thalia, and herself were supposed to play; they were the bait. A demigod born of the Big Three has a stronger scent compared to any other demigods, stronger after they fully realize who and what they really are. With the children of the Big Three gathered together, they can easily mask the scent of the two other demigods in the school.

"A brother and a sister," Grover explained. "The girl's twelve and the brother's ten. I don't know their parentage but they're strong. I'm running out of time, guys. I need help."

"Monsters?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, one," Grover looked stressed; apparently this was a lot harder than they'd originally thought it'd be. "He already suspects that they're demigods but he hasn't really found 'em out yet. He knows what I am and every time I _try_ to get close to the two, he's _always_ there blocking my way." The satyr looked nervously around the gym, as if he suspects that the monster could be listening in, "I'm pretty sure he won't leave the school without finding out and tonight's the last day of the term. No way is he going to let them walk away when he still has questions to answer. Guys, I don't know what to do!"

Grover was looking at Thalia with a desperate expression and Seria knew that usually wasn't a common thing that he'd do. Usually he'd go to Percy for help and judging by the look on the sea prince's face, Percy noticed this and he didn't like it.

But then again, Seria looked to Thalia for advice; she does have more experience when it comes to fighting monsters outside of camp. She and Thalia had gotten close over the summer and had kept in touch after she decided to go with Annabeth and try going to school again. Seria had learned about Thalia's rough past and she often went to the punk looking demigod for solace in her troubles. If she was in Grover's shoes, no doubt she would've done.

Thalia nodded. "Right, so the demigods are here in the dance?"

Grover nodded again.

"Then let's dance," smirked the daughter of Zeus. "Who's the monster?"

A grim expression was on the satyr's face. "Oh, you've already met him. It's the vice principle, Dr. Thorn."

Annabeth clicked her tongue. "Knew it." Seria resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course, _she_ knew the Dr. Thorn was the monster. When was she _ever_ wrong?

"Well this quest is starting off on a wonderful beat," Seria sighed. "Where are the demigods, Grover?"

The satyr pointed over to the side of the gym that was completely covered with bleachers. "They're over there. The di Angelo siblings, Nico and Bianca."

Sitting on the bleachers, away from the actual dance itself, were two kids who looked of Latin decent. The girl wore a floppy green cap, as if she was trying to hide her face. Looking at the little boy, anyone could tell that he was her younger brother. They both had dark silky hair and olive skin, and when they communicated they tend to use their hands often. The girl looked like she was scolding her younger brother and didn't look very comfortable in the gym. The younger brother on the other hand was shuffling some cards and didn't seem to be paying attention to a single word his sister was saying to him.

"Do they-... have you told them?" Annabeth asked; even she seemed nervous. Something wrong was going to happen, she just knew it.

Grover shook his head. "No, you know how it is. If I told them what they are, that would put them in even more danger."

"Then let's just grab 'em and go." Percy stormed towards the di Angelo siblings but Thalia grabbed his arm in the nick of time; roughly pulling the brunette back to the group. Percy looked like he was going to protest until Thalia made a jerky hand movement towards the entrance to the gym.

Everyone stared over to the double doors that acted as the entrance to the gym from the entry hall. Dr. Thorn had just entered and was already making his way towards the di Angelos. He seemed to have caught the group staring at him because he sent a wicked smile theor way and his blue eyes seemed to glow menacingly.

"I don't think your Mist trick worked, Grace." Seria mumbled, turning away from the monster's gaze. "Now what?"

"Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "Obviously he now knows what _we _are, so we can't get too close to them. We have to wait for a chance to get them. For now, we have to pretend to mingle. Dance, socialize whatever, just make sure to throw him off their scent."

Percy narrowed his eyes."How?"

Seria let out an exasperated sigh, "Seriously Percy? Chiron must've known this was going to happen, that's why he asked me and Thalia to go with you. With children of the Big Three together, our scent is strong enough to mask the di Angelo's. That stuck-up jerk won't be able to know which is which as long as none of us of make it obvious that we're eyeing the two."

Thalia nodded her head; confirming the plan. "Now, back to the mission. Start dancing." Immediately, the daughter of Zeus grabbed Grover's hand and dragged him to the dance floor. From afar, Thalia seemed to make a comment about the music; which Seria couldn't blame her...it was sort of corny. Grover looked a little disappointed at her comment...maybe he chose it?

"Dancing?" Percy repeated. The idea didn't really seem all that appealing to him. "I don't even know how to dance."

Annabeth giggled and immediately locked arms with the sea spawn. "Don't worry, I'll teach you." Then she dragged him away too. If Cleo was here, she wouldn't have liked seeing this transpire. Seria made a mental note to tell her friend when she gets back to camp.

Thus, that left Seria on her own to mingle. The daughter of Hades looked around the gymnasium nervously; she had little choice on who to talk to. She _could_ approach one of the guys who're playing wallflower at the side of the gym...or she could throw herself to the dogs and talk to one of the groups of giggling girls.

Seria caught sight of Thalia who was mouthing out to her, "Do something." She rolled her eyes; easier said than done.

So she decided to wander the gym, keeping in mind to avoid looking like she's walking toward the di Angelos. Seria eyed the other kids who were at the dance; she could tell most of the boys definitely didn't want to attend but probably had to because Westover Hall was a _boarding_ school. But she had to give 'em some props; for a bunch of stuck up military kids, they knew how to decorate.

Seria must have not been paying attention to where she was going because she ran into someone. Once again, she found herself landed on her bum onto the floor.

"Oh geez, I'm so sorry!" The person she ran into stammered, immediately grabbing Seria's hand and helped her get right back onto her feet.

Seria laughed, patting away dust from her pants. "No, no. _I'm_ sorry. I should've been paying attention to where I was going." Seria looked at the person who she had ran into.

It was a boy who looked about eleven or twelve; he had lightly tanned skin and bright brown eyes that seemed to spark with something mischievous. He had curly dark brown hair and based on his physical features, Seria would've taken him for a Latino Santa's elf.

"I'm Seria Amagi," she held out her hand to the boy. "Nice to meet you."

The boy suddenly sparked with life when Seria introduced herself; as if he'd never had someone talk to him before. "Seria Amagi? Whoa, that's such a foreign name! I'm Leo Valdez," he shook Seria's hand enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you too!"

Seria furrowed her eyebrows when Leo shook her hand; his hand was extremely warm, not the normal kind of warm... but the hot, fever-ish kind of warm.

Leo noticed her odd expression; immediately releasing his grip on her hand. "Ah, sorry," he looked down at his shoes. "Did I hurt you or anything?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Seria reassured him. Leo was giving off some weird vibes too, he wasn't normal. Seria didn't mean that in a bad way, the weird vibes she was getting was something similar to what a demigod would give off. Though it was weak, she could tell it was there. This boy may be another demigod.

Leo looked at Seria; his eyes going up and down her body, as if he was observing her. A sly grin spread across his tanned face. "You're not a student at Westover Hall, aren't you?"

A slight panic blew through Seria; how did he figure it out so fast? Then again... She looked down at what she was wearing; her grey winter jacket, a pair of faded jeans, and her usual WWI military boots. She didn't look like she was dressed for a dance.

Seria narrowed her eyes playfully at the younger boy. "Well, looks like we've got ourselves a little Sherlock Holmes here."

"Correct, my dear Watson." The duo laughed merrily as if they had been friends forever.

"I suspect that you aren't a student yourself, Leo." Seria teased; she gestured towards the clothing that he wore. "You don't look all dressed up for the dance yourself."

Leo was wearing an old leather jacket with light brown fur trim at the collar, underneath was a yellow shirt covered in what looked like oil and soot. He wore a pair of baggy jeans that had various rips and tears near his knees and some worn down sneakers. Overall, Leo looked more like a kid-sized repairman than a student of some military school.

"Yeah," Leo smiled sheepishly. "I'm sort of a run away. Y'know, for a military school, their security _sucks_!" He rolled his eyes. "You'd think they'd guard the place like it was the freakin' Pentagon but _no_, all of their guards took the day off 'cause of the dance."

"And the dance itself really isn't all that great." Seria chuckled, eyeing all of the wallflowers hanging around the sides.

"What 'bout you?"

"Huh?" Seria looked down at Leo with a puzzled expression.

Leo repeated his question. "What are _you_ doing here if you're not a student as well? You a run away too?"

Seria frowned; there really was something about Leo that she couldn't quite put to words. Judging from his shoddy state of clothing, Leo probably had a hard life. Let alone, he's a runaway for Pete's sake. Something must've happened to him that was so bad, it compelled him to run away from it all.

"Sorry but no," it almost pained Seria to watch Leo's grin fade away so fast. "I'm actually here with a few friends. I can't tell you why, though."

"That's cool," Leo muttered. "So what? You like a spy or something? Top secret mission that would compel you to kill me if I knew?"

Seria looked down at Leo with an icy expression. "Yes."

Leo's face twisted to that of shock... until Seria cracked a smile. "I'm kidding! Geez, can't you take a joke?"

The boy laughed. "Oh you got me there! Wow," he smiled up at Seria. "Y'know I never talked to someone like this for a long time."

"Oh?" Seria frowned, "Why's that?"

"I ran away...'cause I'm different. Not the good kind...the bad kind of different." It was odd seeing someone as high-spirited like Leo lose that entire spark in just one fell swoop. "Bad things always happen to me. People don't want to be around me because they know that they'll end up getting hurt in the end."

Seria pursed her lips. "Well then screw those people."

Leo looked at her with alarm. "What?"

"Screw 'em for thinking that." Seria repeated, an angry fire burning in her eyes. "Leo, you're a nice kid. You're funny, you're so friendly...you don't deserve to live like this. But let me tell you," Seria knelt down a bit so she could be eye-level to Leo. "Things are going to get better. There's something about you that's...special. Though right now, you think of it as a bad thing, someday you'll see otherwise. Someday you'll realize what you are and what you're meant to be in the world." She gave him the most sincere smile she has ever made. "You're going to meet people like you at some point. They'll be your friends and help you, protect you...anything. They'll be like you," she poked Leo's chest lightly, "special."

Leo stared up at Seria with a mix of awe and happiness.

"But for now," Seria ruffled Leo's curly mess of hair. "Just keep smiling. A smile, though it seems like a petty little action, can actually make a huge difference in someone's life."

Leo blinked his eyed quickly like he was holding back tears and shot a big smile up at Seria. "Thanks Seria, you're...you're the nicest person I've ever met."

Seria grinned... then she noticed something through the corner of her eye. Thalia was frantically waving her hands at her, trying to get her attention. A look of panic was on the child of Zeus' face. She pointed frantically at the bleachers where the di Angelos were sitting at. When Seria looked over at the bleachers, her heart nearly stopped; the di Angelos were gone!

"Is something wrong?"

Seria looked down at Leo and gave him a guilty smile. "Sorry, Leo. I've gotta go."

"What?" Leo yelled, his eyes were already watery and he just looked totally torn apart when Seria told him that she had to leave. "So soon? I wanted to talk to you more."

"I'm sorry, Leo." Seria straightened herself and nodded at Thalia. "But my friends need me."

Though reluctant, Leo understood. "Okay, but I want you to have this. I made this during my spare time while I was out around the city."

The young boy dug around in his jacket's pocket and took out a beautiful bronze figurine of a female warrior. It looked so real, that Seria thought Leo had it professionally made. The girl had a fierce look on her face and had a sword raised high, shield connected to her arm. She wore battle armor that Seria recognized as being Greek. Seria could hardly believe that Leo had made this.

The fifteen year-old demigod gently took the figurine and looked at Leo in shock. "Are you sure you want me to have this?"

Leo nodded. "That way you won't forget me! Good luck Seria...and thanks."

Seria smiled softly at the boy and gently leaned in and gave him a quick chaste kiss on the cheek. As she pulled away, Seria bit back a laugh. "Leo?"

"Y-yeah?" The boy stammered, his cheeks were a bright shade of red.

"You're hair's smoking," Seria smirked and then she turned and ran off; following Thalia out of the gymnasium with the figurine tucked safely inside her backpack.

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Did you enjoy the cameo? ;) See you in the next chapter, my lovelies! Arriverderci!


	12. Fighting The Frenchie

**A/N: **Hello guys! I have returned with a new chapter and a little announcement to my readers. Regarding my schedule when it comes to posting stories here, know that I will usually post new chapters (and maybe future stories) on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. These are the only days in my current schedule that I have more free-time in. However, on holidays and days when I have no school; I will definitely update the story. But my usual posting time is on Fri., Sat., and Sun. so keep an eye out.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Percy Jackson series nor any of its characters. They all belong to the series' author, Rick Riordan. I only own the OCs Seria Amagi, Cleo Morrison, and Freya Blake. That is all.  
ENJOY! AND LEAVE ME A REVIEW TOO! ;)

* * *

The last thing Seria needed was stress. She had a lot to deal with; her thing with Luke, the fact that she may be the child of that big, extremely dangerous-sounding prophecy and now she had to deal with finding Percy and the di Angelo kids. Seria was thoroughly pissed. Apparently the son of Poseidon had decided to run off on his own when he noticed that the two recently-discovered demigods had disappeared. She knew that all demigods had ADHD but _seriously_, couldn't the fish prince just wait for _one second_?

"Did you find him?" Annabeth and Grover came running towards Seria and Thalia. Both were out of breath and their ears and noses were red from the cold outside of the academy. Judging from the looks on their faces, they knew where Percy is... and he was in trouble.

Annabeth and Grover led Thalia and Seria toward the backdoor exit of the gym and out unto the snowy white forest area that lay waiting for them outside. A strong gust of cold wind greeted the group, sending shivers down their spines. Seria's pale complection instantly turned a rosy red as the wind blew her by. Her old grey jacket wasn't thick enough to handle the cold weather of Maine. Originally, she planned on parting with her old jacket to get a new one, but the girl just couldn't part with it just yet.

"Where's Perc-" Thalia fell silent when she saw from a distance three kids being cornered to a cliff edge by a giant scorpion-looking...thing. "Is that...Dr. Thorn?"

Seria whistled at the sight of him. "He's uglier than I thought." She looked to Thalia, "So how should we save them? They're near a cliff edge and Thorn has them cornered."

Thalia looked at the group with narrowed eyes; a plan quickly being formulated in her head. Seria was aware that Thalia was better when it came to leading teams compared to her OR Percy, though the son of the sea god may not like hearing that. In a few minutes, Thalia's electric blue eyes sparkled.

"I have an idea!" She turned to Annabeth. "I'm sorry Annabeth, but you're going to be making a huge risk here."

The daughter of Athena had a determined look on her face. "I'm willing to take it if it means that Percy and the di Angelos are okay."

"I need you to be the distraction," Thalia explained. "Get Percy and the di Angelos out of harm's way. Slam them while you have your invisibility cap on. Then," she looked at Grover and Seria, "while Thorn is distracted, we'll charge him from behind. If we're lucky, we'll surprise him and get the advantage." She slammed her fist in her open palm. "Then we'll crush him and send him back to the deepest depths of Tartarus."

It wasn't the best plan, but it was a plan. Annabeth nodded her head and immediately put on her Yankees baseball cap; instantly disappeared before Seria's eyes. If it weren't for the footprints that the know-it-all had left in the snow, Seria might've run into her.

Thalia, Grover, and Seria quickly got into position; right behind Dr. Thorn, hidden by the large pine trees that filled the forest. Thalia brandished her spear and Aegis, a shield that had Medusa's head carved onto the celestial bronze. Seria shivered at the sight of the shield, usually Thalia would often refrain from showing her shield to her since she was aware of Seria's history with the infamous gorgon, but this was a battle so Seria had to cope. The daughter of the God of the Underworld slicked her rings off of her index her fingers and immediately, the rings morphed into two identical celestial bronze swords with red gems that resembled a pair of reptilian eyes.

When they spotted Percy and the di Angelos topple to the ground by an unknown, or invisible, force they immediately sprang up and charged.

"FOR ZEUS!" Thalia screamed as she charged; her shield covering her front while her spear pointed straight for Dr. Thorn.

Seria joined in with her own battle cry. "FOR HADES!"

While Grover, "BAAAAA!" Bleated fearfully...like a true protector.

Sadly, their surprise attack didn't start off so well because Dr. Thorn instantly noticed their presence. Then again, they were the ones who decided to _scream_ before they charged.

When Thalia jabbed her spear at Dr. Thorn's head, Seria thought it was over...she was wrong. Dr. Thorn's hand somehow morphed into an orange paw that had sharp, deadly claws shining in the moonlight and he easily swatted Thalia's spear away; the weapon landing somewhere in the snowy landscape. When he swung his paw again towards Thalia, the girl immediately held up Aegis; blocking the attack. Thorn's claws made contact against the bronze shield creating a shrill screeching noise that pierced the air. From the force of the blow, Thalia was thrown back a few feet.

As Thalia got back up on her feet, Seria took this as her chance to strike Thorn. The small demigod was quick on her feet and was able to slash Thorn at his side; slicing a nice gash into his military uniform.

Thorn let out an enraged yell and from the corner of her eye, Seria saw something move wildly in the shadows. Something hard slammed into Seria's chest, sending her flying across the snowy field until she made contact with something small and bony.

"OW!" It was Annabeth.

When Seria got back on her feet, she caught a glimpse of something she hadn't seen clearly beforehand; Dr. Thorn had a tail. It wasn't just any tail either, it was a long, scorpion-like tail that had spikes bristled at the end. Judging from the angry look on Thorn's face and how the tail was swinging wildly, the man was going to attack.

Seria screeched, "LOOK OUT!" Immediately, she lunged for the di Angelos and raised her hands forward. The shadows that accumulated in the nearby forest quickly rushed to her and rose up, circling Seria and the di Angelos half-way with darkness; a shield made up of shadows. All around her, Seria could see spikes whiz by at break-neck speed; no doubt they could cause major damage with the speed that they were going at and their size. Seria felt the force of the spikes when a number of them hit her shadow shield; it felt like two Minotaures slamming against her. Thankfully, her shield held but she did notice a few shadows fade with each impact. The shield wasn't going to be permanent.

"Whoa," the male di Angelo gasped; Seria recalled that his name was Nico. "How'd you do that?!"

"I'm a child of Hades," Seria managed to say; another volley of spikes were ricocheting off her shield, chipping away at the layers of shadows. "Doing this shadow stuff? Yeah, normal thing for me."

Nico looked like he was about to say something but then a sound, similar to breaking glass, echoed in the night. Seria's shield had shattered. The demigod looked shocked then everything seemed to go in slow motion; she felt something sharp slice at her side, a blunt object slamming her chest and sending her flying into the air until she hit something hard, something solid. The pain was almost unbearable, Seria had almost passed out from the impact. The burning feeling in her side only worsened her mood, but she was able to confirm one thing: Dr. Thorn's spikes were poisonous.

Seria wasn't so sure what was going on right now. She heard pipes playing, probably Grover using his nature magic against the manticore. Then Seria heard Thorn's angered screams resonate through the cold winter air. Her vision was blurry but she was able to make out Thorn's changing form. The monster had finally decided to switch into his true form; a colossal monster with the body of a lion, face of a man, and a tail of a scorpion that whipped spikes everywhere it went.

Someone pushed her into the ground. Cold snow managed to get inside her jacket, which slightly soothed the burning sensation in her side.

"He's a manticore!" cried Annabeth; apparently she'd been the one to push Seria and prevent the Asian girl to become Thorn's target dummy.

"Who are you people?!" The female di Angelo yelled; Seria's hazy thoughts slowly remembered that the girl's name is Bianca. "What is _that_?"

"A manticore?!" Nico sounded excited, which didn't seem appropriate seeing as his life was in danger. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"

"What in the world is he-" Seria felt the hairs in the back of her neck stand up. "GET DOWN!"

Another storm of spikes were sent flying through the air. One by one, everyone slammed themselves into the ground...except for Nico. Seria didn't know why but she felt panic surge through her as if she had the _need_ to protect Nico, despite the fact that she didn't know the boy at all. It was like her body was moving on its own accord and before she knew it; Seria threw her arms around Nico and brought him down to the ground. More pain seemed to blow through her body, Seria knew what was happening. She was using her own body as a shield to protect Nico.

"SERIA!" She could hear Percy's panicked voice call her name...but it sounded so far away. Did she move far from him? She couldn't tell anymore.

Dr. Thorn laughed in triumph when he saw Seria crumple onto the ground in a bloody heap. "YIELD!" He screamed, baring his large fangs.

"NEVER!" Thalia screeched, pure anger radiating in her eyes. She grabbed her spear and shield and charged at Dr. Thorn. Her spear crackled with electricity and just when she was about to jab her weapon into the manticore, a sudden blast of light paralyzed her.

The sound of copter blades roared through the fields as a helicopter seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Its blades sent a harsh gust of wind that made it difficult for any of the demigods to focus on Dr. Thorn.

"What the-?!" Percy looked up at the helicopter with wide eyes. Though it was hard to see, he was able to notice that the pilots of the helicopter were neither demigod or monster. They were humans. "Why are humans working with a monster?!"

While Thalia was stunned by the bright search-lights, Dr. Thorn took this chance to swat her away; sending her spear and shield flying away from their owner. To finish Thalia off, he sent more spikes her way.

"No!" Percy quickly scrambled to his feet and deflected a spike that was about to hit Thalia's chest. He raised his shield and held it over him and Thalia as protection. The shield had countless dents and looked close to falling apart; it didn't look like it could handle another spike shower.

Dr. Thorn laughed, "Now do you see how hopeless it is?" He glowered down at Percy and Thalia with his two bi-colored eyes. "Yield, little heroes."

Seria couldn't take it anymore; looking to her side, she saw Annabeth on the ground, holding her head in pain and Grover lying on the ground, completely knocked out. These were her friends (though Annabeth could be a debatable topic.) and Seria did _not_ tolerate _anyone or anything_ harming her friends in any way. Going against her body's screech for rest, Seria got on her feet and grabbed her weapons from the ground.

Bianca held onto Seria's coat tightly. "Don't go," she said. "You're hurt."

She was well aware of that. Seria could feel the warmth of her own blood running down her back but that wasn't going to stop her. Shrugging off Bianca's hand, she glared daggers at Thorn and charged. Seria jumped onto the manticore's back and dug her two swords deep into his skin.

Dr. Thorn screamed in agony as he began to thrash around the clearing, swiping at his back as an attempt to throw Seria off, but the young demigod held on for dear life. But she couldn't hold forever. When Thorn decided to slam the female demigod into a tree, Seria's swords came sliding right out of Thorn's hard, leathery skin and Seria hit the ground once more.

"Insolent girl," he growled; his tail's spiked end pointed dangerously at her. "I don't understand why _he_ is so interested in you."

_'He?' _Seria's thoughts wondered if Thorn was speaking about Kronos...or someone else entirely.

A sick grin spread across Dr. Thorn's pale face. "Oh~ so he hasn't told you?" His tail was now dangerously close to nicking her neck. "No matter; I'm sure he will get over his silly feelings when I-"

_PHOOOOOOOOT!_

The manticore's head snapped up and his wicked grin was quickly replaced with a look of alarm. "No," he gasped. "It cannot be-"

A streak of silver shot through the dark sky and embedded itself into Dr. Thorn's shoulder. It was a silver arrow. A silver arrow only meant-

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

"Oh, wonderful," Thalia groaned. She didn't seem so enthusiastic about the arrival of The Hunters. Honestly, Seria could understand why.

"Curse you!" Dr. Thorn raged; his tail sending a shower of spikes into the woods where the arrow had came from. But just as quick, a whole shower of silver arrows shot back in reply. Seria watched in awe as the arrows seemed to intercept the spikes and slice them right in half.

Dr. Thorn pulled the silver arrow out of his shoulder; he was panting, no doubt he must've been seriously injured. Percy must've assumed the same thing because he got up on his feet and swiped his sword at Dr. Thorn's feet. The manticore, however, wasn't as injured as Percy had thought. H managed to dodge Percy's attack and slam him away like he was some old rag doll.

From the forest came a group of archers, all of which were female. There was a dozen of them in the group; each looked rather young to be so skillful with a bow. The youngest was probably ten and the eldest looked about fourteen, around Percy and Annabeth's age. All of them were decked out in silver ski parkas and jeans, all carrying a bow and quivers filled to the brim with bright silver arrows.

A girl stepped out from the group and judging from her looks, she was probably one of the older archers. She had coppery colored skin, tall and had an air of gracefulness and strength about her. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided on top of her dark-colored hair, making her look like a Persian princess. "Permission to kill, my lady?"

"This is not fair!" The monster wailed. "Direct interference! This is against the Ancient Laws!"

"Not so," another girl walked out from the dark forest, only this one had a glow to her...literally. She looked about twelve or thirteen. Her hair was auburn and pulled back into a pony-tail and her silvery-yellow eyes glowed brightly in the night. Percy didn't know her...but Annabeth, Thalia, and Seria did. "The hunting of wild beasts is within my sphere," her voice was cold and stern. "And you foul creature, are a wild beast. Zoë, I give you my permission."

The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive! Then I shall have them dead!" Without warning, he lunged at Thalia and Percy, knowing that they were the weakest.

"No!" Annabeth quickly got off her feet and charged at the monster.

"Get back half-blood!" Ordered the girl with the circlet. "Get out of the line of fire!"

But Annabeth didn't listen. She leaped onto the monster's back and dug her knife deep into his mane, the same area Seria had imbedded her swords moments ago. Dr. Thorn howled, turning in circles and flailing his tail as Annabeth hung on for dear life.

"Annabeth!" Seria screamed; she threw her hand forward and focused as best as she could in her weak and dazed state. Slowly, the manticore's own shadow began to turn on him. It began to creep up the manticore's legs and held him in place, limiting the monster's movement.

"Fire!" Zoë ordered.

From beside her, Seria could hear Percy yell out, "No!"

But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught onto the manticore's neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered back and the sheer force of his movements was enough to break Seria's hold on his shadow. "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"

Before anyone could do anything, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness below.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried as he scrambled back onto his feet and ran for the cliff-side.

_Snap-snap-snap!_

The sound of gunfire resonated through the air; Seria had almost forgotten that the helicopter was still there. Percy stopped running and jumped out of the helicopter's line of fire. The Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet. All of them scattered, except for the archer with auburn hair.

"Mortals," she said, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."

With a simple wave of her arm, the helicopter bursted into a black mass. When Seria squinted through the darkness, she could see that the black mass were actually ravens. The flock of birds scattered quickly into the night.

When they were sure that there were no other enemies to face, the now group of four gathered together. The Hunters regrouped and approached the demigods.

The one called Zoë stopped short when she noticed Thalia and Seria. "You," she looked at Thalia with distaste but when she saw Seria, she nodded respectfully in her direction.

"Zoë Nightshade," Thalia growled, though she eyed Seria with confusion. "Perfect timing, as usual."

Zoë scanned the rest of the group. "Five half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."

Seria gasped; she'd almost forgotten about Nico and Bianca. She quickly turned to the two demigods who stayed further away from the group, as if they were wounded animals facing a pack of wolves.

"Are you two okay?" Seria asked; she approached the two siblings slowly. The pain in her back worsened as the poison coursed through her veins.

Bianca looked at Seria with worry. "I should be the one asking _you_ that." She tightened her grip around Nico's hand. "You protected Nico from getting hurt by those spikes... thank you."

Seria smiled down at the younger boy, though it looked a little bit strained. "No problem," she muttered.

Nico's eyes brightened up at Seria. "Is what you said true? You're dad is Hades?! Like the God of the Underworld and stuff?"

Seria nodded her head.

"Oh my gosh, that is _so cool_!" The small boy seemed to vibrate with excitement. "How much attack power do _you_ have? Oh! Do you have special-"

Seria raised her hand to quiet Nico down. "All will be explained soon," she chuckled. "Just follow me, 'kay? The others in our group are in better shape than me to explain things to you two."

When Seria lead the di Angelos back to her group and the Hunters, they were greeted by Percy quarreling with Zoë and the auburn-haired archer.

"You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn girl looked down at Percy with pity.

"Let me go!" Percy thrashed against the hold of the two Hunters who held him down. "Who do you think you are?"

Zoë stepped forward to smack Percy but the auburn girl held up her hand in a stopping motion. But that didn't stop Seria from smacking Percy herself.

"Ow!" Percy held his head in pain. He looked up at Seria with a mix of anger and confusion. "What was that for?" Behind him, the group of Hunters giggled at his expense.

Seria glared darkly at Percy, sending shivers down the son of Poseidon's spine. "Show some respect," she growled.

"Why?" He retorted. "_Who is she?!_"

The auburn girl smirked with amusement as she stepped in front of Percy and looked down at him. Her silvery-yellow eyes glowed brighter now as she spoke her name. "I am Artemis, Goddess of The Hunt."

Percy fell silent. His mouth formed a perfect "o" shape as he said something incredibly smart. "Oh..."

Seria would've laughed until her vision started to blur. Her legs felt like jelly and without warning she collapsed onto her knees.

"Seria?!" Thalia quickly got down onto her knees and held Seria up. "Oh gods," she pulled her hand back which was stained crimson with Seria's blood.

Everything was going dark and everyone's voices seemed to get further and further away. Seria could only hear bits and pieces of what everyone was saying...but she couldn't tell who was who.

"She...injured...bleeding," a girl was talking. "Set...camp...losing...quickly."

She felt someone pick her up and a pair of smokey grey eyes looked down at her worriedly. Then everything went black.


	13. The Hunters of Artemis

**A/N: After a long hiatus (CURSE YOU SCHOOL), I have returned with ch. 12! We left off with Seria passing out from her injuries, so let's see what will become of her now! But before we do that, let us answer some of the reviews I've recieved!**

**First is from _I am Katie Daughter of Demeter_: Yes, I've noticed the errors. So I updated the previous chapter; hopefully the errors were minimized. I'll do better next time. :) Thank you for telling me.**

**I also recieved two reviews from _iAMwhatIamK_: Oh! You found my dA page! That's wonderful, nice to see a fellow deviant here (or at least someone who goes to the website). I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and thank you! :) I try to make it different from the books but at the same time I want to stay true to the original plot as best as I can, only in a different point of view. And about Chiron, I'm one of those fans who saw the movie before reading the books. So the movie!Chiron has a lasting impression on me. ^^" And about the swearing: I'm sorry ;A; I'll try not to swear often. You might get the occasional "_crap"_ but I'll try not to go too far. As for the language barrier, please bear with me on that! ^^" English really isn't my first language so it's still more of a "_trial and error"_ kind of thing and I also like sweet Luke. I read the Demigod Diaries and I can't help but feel sorry for him. He really was a nice guy, once upon a time.**

**Thank you for the reviews! And let's begin with the story, yes? :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Percy Jackson book series. They all belong to the author, Rick Riordan. I swear, I only own the OCs that you see in the story. Thank you and enjoy!**

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When Seria came to, she was greeted by a splitting headache. The girl winced and clenched her eyes shut as she waited for the pain to subside. When it did, she slowly raised from her...bed? Seria's eyes widened as she looked at her surroundings. She was sitting on some sort of bedding that was covered in silver silk; surrounding her was a lavish tent, decorated with various animal hides and different types of bows thrown about. Judging how everything was silver and made of silk, Seria could deduct that she was in a tent that belonged to one of the Hunters of Artemis.

"Ah, you are awake."

Seria turned her attention to the sole entrance and exit of the tent and was amazed to see Zoë Nightshade enter the tent.

"What happened to me?" Seria muttered. The pain in her head had subsided but she remembered little after she'd passed out. "I remember talking to the di Angelos and...that's it."

The immortal huntress smirked with mild amusement. "Do not fret, Amagi. You missed very little after thou hast passed out." Zoë handed Seria her knapsack and her canteen of nectar. "Thou had lost a lot of blood during thy battle with the manticore. Be thankful that Lady Artemis was quick to tend to thy wounds, or thou would find themselves in the Underworld yet again."

Seria thanked Zoë under her breath as she took a quick swig of nectar. The delicious taste of the healing liquid instantly eased Seria's spirits. The nectar immediately took effect as a feeling of warmth rushed throughout Seria's body, giving her energy once more. "Of course I am thankful to Lady Artemis," she muttered. "The goddess has done a lot for me in the past. I'm surprised she still even came to my aid."

That's when Zoë frowned. The copper-skinned beauty sat down on the bedding next to Seria and looked her straight in the eye. "Lady Artemis is our patron. She will _always_ come to our aid when we ask for it. Remember that."

"I never forgot," Seria said.

Zoë sighed, shaking her head with disdain. "I do not understand," she murmured. "Thou were to become our sister-in-arms. Lady Artemis gave thou a chance to join the Hunters but thou turned down her offer. Tell me...why?"

Seria's dark grey eyes narrowed. "I told you once and I will tell you again, I didn't want to turn my back on my family back at Camp. To join Artemis' Hunters meant never seeing my friends again. Chiron, Natalia-"

"And him?" Zoë scowled at the memory. "That demigod boy that thou were so smitten with?"

Seria glared at Zoë, her grip on her canteen tightened to the point where you could hear the metal creak from the force. "Don't you dare bring him up! Leave Mark out of this! He's not your business anymore, Nightshade."

"It's been more than seventy years, Amagi." Zoë said coldly. She didn't sugarcoat the truth, she told it as it was. "Thy loved one is already _dead. _He has passed on. There is nothing holding thou back any longer." The lieutenant of the Hunters rose back to her feet and held out her hand. "Join us, sister. Join the Hunters and serve Lady Artemis as thou were supposed to."

Seria stared at Zoë's outstretched hand. The archer was right. What had prevented her from joining the Hunters long ago was now gone. She no longer had a reason to stay in Camp Half-Blood anymore. Her friends were dead, Mark was dead, and the man who had raised her now kept secrets from her as if she was the enemy. Seria wanted to think that but deep down, she knew that it wasn't true.

"My answer still stands," Seria hissed. "It's still NO."

Zoë frowned as she pulled back her hand. "Fine then, if that is what thy wants then so be it." Just as she was about to leave the tent, Zoë stopped and faced Seria once more. "Lady Artemis wishes that thou would join her in her tent...now." Then she was gone.

Seria pinched her temple, releasing a heavy sigh. As much as she respected Zoë for her loyalty to Artemis, sometimes the girl can be quite forceful...if not nosy. Zoë just doesn't take "No" for an answer and the way that she constantly reminds people about "how bad boys are" was definitely a major negative to her personality.

_'Well,'_ Seria sighed. _'Better not keep Artemis waiting...'_

When she exited Zoë's tent, Seria found herself in the all too familiar scenery of the Hunter's camp. She noticed that the camp was set up in the same area that the fight against Dr. Thorn had taken place; seeing as Westover Hall was just over the horizon.

"I guess my injuries were a lot worse than I imagined," Seria mumbled.

"Hey! You're awake!" Nico di Angelo ran over to Seria with a relieved smile on his face. "Wow, those Hunters really know how to patch up wounds and stuff! You look a lot better than you did a few hours ago."

"Hours?" Seria was shocked. "I was unconscious for that long?!"

Nico nodded his head. "Yeah, in fact, Percy and the others were worried that you weren't gonna make it. After all," a small frown replaced the smile on Nico's face, "it sort of was my fault that you got hurt. If I could've just ducked like everybody else-"

"Hey," Seria placed a reassuring hand on Nico's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. You were surprised, that's all. You were in a situation that you never found yourself in before, so there really is no blame being put on you."

Nico smiled, "Thanks."

"No prob," Seria patted Nico's shoulder. Then a thought struck her, "I'm guessing Percy and the others explained everything to you and your sister?"

"Yeah," Nico had an excited grin plastered on his olive-colored face. "This is so cool! I'm a demigod, just like you! Oh, I wonder who my dad is!" He held onto Seria's hand, "I hope my dad's Hades! That way, we could be...um..." He looked puzzled for a few seconds. "Oh yeah, half-siblings! That's what you call it!"

Seria laughed at Nico's excitement. "Well, I'd love to have a younger brother like you, Nico." She ruffled Nico's dark locks affectionately. "But I think I'd rest easier if you turned out to be a child of one of the other Olympian Gods, not The Big Three."

The young boy pouted at Seria's statement. "Aaaaw! Why?"

"Children of The Big Three live more dangerous lives compared to the others," explained Seria. "In fact, most don't really live as long as Percy, Thalia, and I do."

"But I can handle it if you taught me how to fight!"

"Don't worry," Seria smirked. "You'll get your training once we get back to Camp Half-Blood. Now," she looked around in confusion, "where's your sister, Nico?"

The boy frowned, "Oh, she's with Artemis. No doubt they're in her tent or something. Probably talking about _'girl's only'_ stuff."

Seria noticed how Nico said Artemis' name with distaste and to be honest, she really couldn't blame him for not liking the Moon Goddess so much. Artemis, as kind as she can be, has a record of showing her great dislike for the male gender in many over-the-top ways. One of which involved turning an unsuspecting male camper into a jackalope.

"Okay," Seria sighed. "Is Percy with them?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah, that really tanned archer girl came by a while ago and told him to go to Artemis' tent. I guess _he_ was allowed to listen in on their conversation."

"Thank you, Nico." Seria patted the small boy's head and walked toward the tallest and biggest tent in the camp.

Passing by other tents, Seria noticed a few new faces in The Hunters of Artemis. Apparently the goddess had recruited more young maidens to her group over the years, though Seria really shouldn't be so surprised. She recognized a few faces here and there, but not all looked too familiar. Becoming a Hunter gave one immortality, so a few (if not most) of the Hunters that Seria passed recognized her and either greeted her with a smile or just stared at her like she was an intruder. Which in truth, she was.

When she finally came to the entrance of Artemis' tent, immediately a voice rang out. "Come in."

Caught off guard, Seria hesitated to enter the tent for a few seconds, but she gathered her wit and entered Artemis' tent.

"Ah, Miss Amagi," Artemis greeted Seria with a soft smile. "Glad that you could join us. Please, have a seat." The goddess motioned towards one of the pillows laid out on the ground for Seria to sit on.

The pale girl gingerly sat on the pillow next to Percy and looked around. Artemis' tent was just as big as Zoe's but more...decorated. Rare animal skins were laid across furniture like trophies and just like in the other tents, nearly everything was made out of silver silk. On a stand was Artemis' bow; it was beautiful weapon, carved to look like the horns of a gazelle and resting across Artemis' lap was the goddess' patron animal, a doe, a female deer.

"Are you feeling better, my dear?" Artemis cooed; a small, gentle smile graced her almost glowing complexion.

"Yes, thank you Lady Artemis." Seria bowed her head slightly. "May I ask, why did you call me here?"

"Yes, well," the goddess looked to Bianca. "I called you all here so you could further explain what had happened with the manticore, Dr. Thorn. Bianca here," she motioned toward the elder di Angelo sibling, "already told me the more...mmm, disturbing things that the monster had said to her. But I think she did not understand what he was saying. So I was hoping either one of you could expound more on what Dr. Thorn had said."

Percy did most of the explaining since he was the one who went after Dr. Thorn first, but once in a while Seria added in some things that the son of Poseidon might've missed.

When they were done, a troubled expression appeared on the goddess' face. "I feared that was the answer."

Zoe sat forward, "The scent, my lady?"

"Yes."

Percy and Seria were puzzled. "What scent?" Percy asked.

"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," murmured Artemis. "Prey so old, that I have nearly forgotten."

An uneasy feeling swelled in Seria's stomach. What Artemis was saying didn't sound so good.

The goddess looked at the three demigods with a serious expression. "We came here tonight seeking the manticore. But he was not the one I was seeking." She looked towards Percy. "Tell me again what the manticore said."

"Um," Percy faltered, "_'I hate school dances'_?"

"No, no, after that."

"He said somebody called The General was going to explain things to me."

_'The General?'_ Seria found herself getting more and more confused. _'Who's that?'_

Next to Artemis, Zoë's face paled considerably. She turned to Artemis and opened her mouth to say something but the goddess silenced her.

"Go on, Percy," Artemis nodded her head toward the brunette.

"Well then, Thorn started going on about the Great Stir Pot-"

"Stirring," Bianca corrected.

"Yeah that," Percy mumbled. "Then he said, _'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all. The one who shall bring about the downfall of Olympus.'_"

Silence fell over the tent; Artemis was so still, you would've mistook her for a statue. Even Seria felt uneasy; she didn't quite understand what The Great Stirring ment but from what Dr. Thorn had said, it didn't sound like it was a party.

Percy spoke up, a bit of hesitation could be heard in his voice. "He might've been lying."

Artemis shook her head. "No. He was not." A frown appeared on her face. "I have been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster, quickly."

Zoe nodded her head; she was trying very hard not to look afraid. "We will leave right away my lady."

"No, Zoë. I must do this alone."

"But, Artemis-"

The goddess insisted. "This task is too dangerous, even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go with me."

"As...as you wish, my lady." Zoë hesitantly stepped down from the argument.

"I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by the winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of The Gods of how much danger we are in."

"Do you know what the monster is?" Seria asked.

Artemis grabbed her bow. "Let us pray that I am wrong."

Percy looked at Artemis curiously, "Can goddesses even pray?"

A flicker of a smile came across Artemis' face. "I have one last task for you, Percy Jackson."

"Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?" Percy's uneasiness made Seria laugh; earning herself a small smack on the arm from the boy.

Artemis chuckled. "Sadly no. I want you to escort the Hunters to Camp Half-Blood. There, they can stay in safety until I return."

"_What?!_" Zoë yelled, "But Artemis, we hate that place! The last time we stayed there-"

"Yes, I know." Artemis said, "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of, ah, misunderstanding. Besides, it is your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you need to. Anyway, I heard they rebuilt the cabins that you burnt down."

Seria raised an eyebrow and looked to Zoë with slight amusement. "Burned down?"

Zoë glared at Seria and began to mumble something under her breath about foolish campers.

"And now, there is one last thing to deal with." Artemis looked to Bianca. "Have you made your decision, child?"

Bianca fidgeted under the goddess' gaze, "I-I'm still thinking about it."

Percy looked confused. "Wait, thinking about what?"

Seria knew what Artemis meant and sent a dark look towards the young goddess. "You didn't! Lady Artemis, how could you-"

Bianca cut Seria off. "They...they asked me to join the Hunt."

And then everything was sent to chaos.


	14. Bianca's Decision

**A/N: Chapter 13 has now made its arrival! I don't have much to say right now, so let's just skip this section and get on with the story. Leave a review because I love hearing feedback from people who read my stories! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Percy Jackson book series. The series is owned by its author, Rick Riordan. If I had owned it, I would've made a few small *cough,cough*major*cough* changes. I only own the OCs Seria Amagi, Cleo Morrison, and Freya Blake.**

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To say Percy didn't take the news so well would've been an understatement. The boy was outraged, angry, and many other negative emotions that couldn't be listed here. If Artemis wasn't an immortal goddess that could very well destroy Percy on the spot, Seria was pretty sure the boy would've attempted to murder the maiden goddess on the spot.

"What?!" Percy yelled, "Bianca you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you! It's the only way you can learn how to survive!"

"It is not the only way for a_ girl_." Zoë pointed out.

Seria sent the dark-skinned huntress a dirty look; as if she was warning Zoë not to talk bad about the camp. But Seria knew what Zoë said was true in every way. Camp Half-Blood wasn't the only way for a demigod _girl_ to learn how to survive. The Hunters of Artemis were the second option and to young female demigods, it will always seem like the best option.

Percy was flabbergasted. He couldn't possibly believe what he was hearing. "Bianca, camp is cool!" He persisted to try to convince Bianca. "It's got a Pegasi stable and a sword-fighting arena and...w-what do you even get out of joining the Hunters anyway?"

"Immortality," Seria stated.

"Wait, what?" Percy looked at the child of Hades with wide eyes. "Are you kidding me?"

Artemis smirked. "It's not a joke, Percy Jackson. My Hunters follow me in my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms." She praised her group of girls as if they were far more superior than the other demigods in Camp Half-Blood. "Once they swear allegiance to me, they are indeed immortal. Unless, they fall in battle, which hardly ever happens, or... they break their oaths."

Percy looked interested in the last detail. "What oaths?"

The maiden goddess giggled. Her eyes sparkled with mild amusement. "I'm surprised that Seria never told you. She knows the oath far too well since she was offered to join my Hunters long ago."

Percy looked at Seria with a shocked expression, and he had every right to look shocked. He couldn't picture Seria hanging out with Artemis' Hunters, not by a long-shot. He knew the daughter of Hades as the type who preferred to stay alone than to work with a bunch of boy-hating-girls.

Seria glared darkly at Artemis before answering Percy's question. "The oath that a girl has to make before joining the Hunters is to forswear romantic love forever." Just the idea of an oath like that made the dark-haired demigod gag. "To never fall in love, to never get married. They become an eternal maiden."

Percy looked at Artemis. "Like you?"

The goddess nodded.

A flood of emotions passed by Percy's face, the idea of traveling with a bunch of girls who never age for all of time just confused him. In fact, if someone told him in the past that a group like the Hunters of Artemis had existed he'd probably laugh. "So," Percy looked a tad bit bewildered. "Do you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods?"

"Not just demigods are recruited," said Zoë. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals-"

"Which are you then?"

Seria resisted the urge to smack Percy again as Zoë narrowed her eyes dangerously at the male demigod in front of her.

"That is not thy concern. The point is that Bianca may join if she wishes. It is her choice."

"Bianca this is crazy," Percy looked like he was close to begging at this point. "What about your brother? Nico...he can't be a Hunter."

Seria looked at Bianca with disdain. She could see the hesitance on the girl's face but at the same time she saw the want to join the Hunters. The thought of Bianca leaving behind Nico just because she wanted to join an immortal girls-scout group...it made her sick.

"Certainly not," Artemis agreed. "He can go to camp. Sadly, that's the best a boy could do."

"Hey!"

The goddess ignored Percy's protest and turned to Bianca. "You can visit him from time to time," she assured the girl. "But you will be free of responsibility. The camp counselors will be able to take care of Nico. Even Seria will be able to keep an eye on him." Artemis moved her hand to the pale girl across from Bianca but Seria didn't even spare her a glance. "You will have a new family. Us."

"A new family," Bianca said dreamily. "Free of responsibility."

"Bianca you can't do this!" Percy yelled, "It's nuts!"

Bianca looked to Zoë. "Is it worth it?"

"It is," she answered.

"What do I have to do?"

Seria couldn't believe this was happening. Bianca was actually agreeing to join the Hunters, even if it meant leaving Nico on his own. As she watched the older di Angelo take the oath, a flurry emotions went right through the daughter of Hades. She didn't understand why Bianca wanted this so much. She had a little brother to take care of! Yet, here she was making an oath that would separate her from Nico forever. When a flash of light enveloped the girl, Seria knew that the deed had been done and an odd wave of anger washed over her.

"So that's it?"

All eyes fell on Seria. The fire from the brazier in Artemis' tent casted an eerie shadow over the daughter of Hades.

"You're a Hunter, congratulations." Seria clapped mockingly, her words dripped with sarcasm. "You have just abandoned your little brother as if he was an old, unwanted toy. Are you proud of that?"

A flash of hurt appeared across Bianca's face.

"You are...no..._were_ his elder sister." Seria said the two words now with distaste. "It _was_ your job as the eldest to watch over him, protect him, and lead him right in his life. He looks to _you_ for support, for answers, for protection! And what do you do? You abandon him by joining Artemis'...girl scouts!"

The goddess glared at Seria for a few moments and almost reached for her quiver but decided to let Seria say her piece.

"Boy that definitely shows how much you love him. I guess the way that you show how much you care for your sibling has changed during the years I've been gone." Seria laughed bitterly before she glared directly at Bianca. Her shadowy eyes almost sending shivers down the girl's spine. "You better explain this to Nico. You owe him that much."

Seria stormed out of the tent as fast as she could; everything she saw outside was now a blur of white and green. As she passed by Thalia, the darkly dressed girl called out Seria's name but it went unnoticed. By the time Seria finally got control of her emotions, she found herself standing amongst the tall, dark pine trees of the forest that was a few miles away from the Hunters' camp.

_'I must've shadow-traveled without knowing..._' Seria glared at the full moon that glowed brightly in the sky. She hated what Artemis had just done to the di Angelo siblings. Once Bianca told Nico about what she'd just done, Seria knew it was going to tear the boy apart.

Seria pinched the bridge between her nose to rid herself of the pounding headache that she received during the whole...dispute. _'Oh, what I'd give to have Natalia here to talk to...or even Mark would be okay. But...'_

Seria shook her head. Now wasn't the time to dwell in the past. But the closest thing she had to a good friend like Natalia and Mark was...

"Why didn't I do this in the first place?" She grumbled, unclasping the gold pocket-watch that Luke had given her a few months ago. She stared at the symbol of Hermes' caduceus for a few seconds until she pressed the knob on top of the small clock. The front case flipped open and glowed for a few minutes before it projected a misty image in the air of an all-too familiar face.

"Seria," Luke grinned from the projection. "Good to see you."

"Hello, Luke." Seria smiled tiredly.

Luke must've noticed how tired she was because his grin faded in the blink of an eye and was replaced by a look of concern. "Hey, you okay? You look... Well, you look like you've been through _a lot_ today."

"By a lot do you mean getting thrown around and poisoned by a half-scorpion man and then nearly dying of blood loss?" She chuckled bitterly. "Then yeah, I've been through a lot."

Luke winced, "Ooh, that definitely sounds rough. But, I'm glad you're okay."

Seria smiled at the look of relief that passed Luke's expression.

"So," Luke shrugged, "is there anything else you wanted to say? Y'know, just to get it off your chest?"

"Well, yes." Seria admitted, "I originally called you because...well, I needed someone to talk to right now."

"What happened?"

The girl sighed, pushing back a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, we had a mission to retrieve two demigods from Westover Hall today. That's how I got beat up by that manticore..."

"Wow, two demigods in the same place?" Luke nodded his head as he tried to imagine the situation in his head. "Definitely could see why a manticore appeared. The scent was strong, so it attracted a strong monster," then he looked concerned. "You did save them right? Or-"

"No, no!" Seria waved her hand that wasn't holding the pocket-watch. "We were able to defeat the manticore and all but," she looked down at the snowy ground, unable to meet Luke's eyes. "W-we...we uh, lost...Annabeth during the fight."

The silence that followed made Seria anxious. She knew Luke was upset. After all, he and Annabeth were good friends before he joined up with Kronos.

"I know you're mad at me." Seria sighed, pushing her hair back nervously. "You have _every_ right to be mad at me, Luke. She was your friend and," she sighed. "And I let her go down with the manticore..."

"I don't blame you."

Seria looked at the projection in shock. "Wait, you don't?"

Luke nodded. "It wasn't your fault. Annabeth's a fighter, so she went down fighting. And no doubt you had nothing to do with it at all. But I bet that you tried to protect her, and for that, I should be thanking you." He shrugged, "I thank you even more for having the guts to even tell me. Usually others would be reluctant to say what you're saying. So thanks."

"N-No problem," Seria blushed.

"You're a tough girl, Seria." Luke said, "Heck, I bet you're as tough Thalia. And you care for your friends as if they're the most precious gems on Earth. That...that I like about you." The spark of true fondness in Luke's eyes made Seria's heart go aflutter. "So you really shouldn't blame yourself for things you had no control over. Heck, don't go blaming what goes wrong on yourself."

"But-"

"No buts," Luke cut her off. "People, demigods...we all make mistakes. Some, yeah, it's our fault but we shouldn't let that get us down. So losing Annabeth, don't let that stop you from being you. Fight harder, so that you won't lose anybody else."

Seria smiled at the son of Hermes,."Thanks, Luke. You're...you're a good guy too y'know." She sighed, "This is going to sound _really_ lame but...I-I wish we were actually having this conversation face-to-face."

The sound of Luke's laughter made Seria's face burn. "That's cute, skull girl." The nickname sent a pang through Seria's heart; it wasn't the first time someone had called her that. "Don't worry," Luke chuckled. "We'll be able to talk face-to-face someday. And maybe," he smirked, "we'll be able to do _more_ than just talk."

"W-what?" Seria squeaked, "Luke...umm...w-what are you-?"

Luke laughed again. "Calm down! I was just messing with you. It's really adorable to see you get all worked up like that."

"Gee," Seria rolled her eyes. "Thanks a lot, Castellan. Glad to know my embarrassment amuses you so much."

"Well," Luke sighed, "listen, I gotta go. Don't want Kronos to catch me "_fraternizing" _with the enemy. Talk to you again, Seria, and keep what I said in mind."

When Luke hung up, the misty projection disappeared into the air and the gold casing of the pocket-watch automatically closed, leaving Seria smiling in the snowy forest. She made the right decision to call-up Luke; she was feeling a lot better than how she felt before.

_'Better get back to the camp. The last thing I need is Thalia electrocuting every Hunter over there just to look for me.'_ Seria smirked at the image in her head. _'Then again...maybe I wouldn't mind if the daughter of Zeus fried a few immortal maidens here and there.'_

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Upon her return to the Hunters' camp, Seria was surprised to see that the Hunters had already begun to break camp and were taking down their tents quickly. Spotting Thalia hanging around near where Artemis' tent had once stood, Seria quickly made her way over to the daughter of Zeus.

"What'd I miss?" Seria asked.

"Nothing much," Thalia sighed. "Artemis told the Hunters to pack up. Apparently she's calling up Apollo to take us all back to camp."

Seria nodded her head; she understood why Artemis chose now to call up Apollo. Despite being under punishment, Apollo still had to do his "_godly"_ responsibility and drive the sun across the sky once in a while. Seeing as it was already dawn, no doubt Apollo would already be making his rounds in the sky.

"Hey," Thalia looked at Seria with concern. "I heard that Bianca decided to join Artemis' group."

Seria sighed; news traveled fast nowadays.

"Is that why you rushed out of Artemis' tent like that?"

"Thalia, I'm fine. Really..." Seria smiled reassuringly at the punk-clothed girl in front of her.

Thalia shrugged, reluctantly retreating from the subject. "Alright, if you say so, Amagi." She turned away from Seria and walked towards the road to wait for Apollo's arrival.

With some time to spare, Seria did a quick scan over the area: The Hunters had already took down all of their tents, put out the fire, and sent their guard animals back into the wild where they belonged. The field that they were camped out in looked like as if they'd never been there. That was good, seeing as whoever this "General" person was, he was apparently looking for them now.

From a distance, Seria could see Nico hanging around the area where the Hunters' brazier used to be. Nico was sitting on a boulder, slouched position and was obviously upset about something.

_'Bianca must've told him already.'_ Seria sighed, _'Better go talk to him...'_

Slowly trudging through the now knee-high snow, Seria approached the dark-haired boy and leaned against the boulder; immediately catching his attention. "Hey Nico," Seria smiled. "You okay?" Seria silently berated herself for such an awful conversation starter. _'"You okay"? Seriously?! That's the best I could come up with?'_

Nico didn't answer, he just shook his head. Seeing Nico being so silent freaked Seria out. In the short amount of time she'd been around the boy, she'd gotten used to the way he tended to shoot off his mouth and excitedly talk on and on about useless topics...like Mythomagic, his favorite card game...which Seria didn't quite understand yet.

Seeing as how Nico wasn't going to give her an actual response anytime soon, Seria got straight to the point in the most subtle and polite way possible. "Listen, I know Bianca abandoned you for the Hunters of Artemis." Yes, very subtle and polite. Nico turned to Seria with a hurt expression but Seria continued, "I was there when she took the pledge to join their...group." She folded her hands in front of her lap and looked Nico straight in the eyes. "What she did was very wrong and very insensitive. She didn't think about your feelings. She only thought of herself. But-"

"You don't have to give me the whole, _'Bianca-Still-Loves-You'_, speech," snorted Nico, who looked very annoyed at this point. "Percy already did that. You don't need to do it too."

Seria frowned, "I wasn't going to say anything like that."

"Oh?" Nico laughed bitterly. "What were you going to say?"

"I was going to say that..." Seria licked her cold, chapped lips; trying to find the right words to say to Nico. "That if you ever needed someone to talk to, I'm always here." Nico's wide-eyed expression and silence only urged Seria to go on. "Bianca left you and you're hurting, I know. But you shouldn't keep it to yourself. It's not healthy, so I hear." She nervously pulled on her jacket sleeve; if there was one thing that she wasn't so confident at, it was giving people _"pep-talks"_. "So...uh, yeah."

A pregnant silence fell over the two. Nico stared at Seria with wide eyes; blinking owlishly as he tried to process what Seria had just said. "Do you mean that?"

Seria nodded her head.

"Promise me."

"What?" She looked at Nico with confusion.

"Promise me that you won't leave me like Bianca did." Nico's cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. "I-I...sort of see you like a sister too. So...so promise me that you'll be there for me."

An unfamiliar warm feeling enveloped Seria. She didn't understand why, but it made a smile creep up onto her face. She didn't know Nico felt so attached to her, and so quickly too. It was almost too cute for her to bear. "Alright," Seria hugged Nico close. "I promise. I promise to stay by you, protect you, and to never leave you behind."

The young boy snuggled closer to Seria's embrace with a small, content smile on his face. "Thanks Seria."

"No problem, Nico."

The small moment came to an abrupt end when a loud roar of an engine and a bright flash of light startled the two demigods causing both to pull away from each other. Seria looked for the source of the noise and flash and noticed a car parked in front of Percy and the others. It wasn't just any car too. It was a Maserati Spyder. Which signaled only one thing.

"What's that?" asked Nico.

Seria smiled, grabbing Nico's hand and dragged him across the snow and towards the group. "A friend of mine has just arrived." She smiled down at Nico, who in turn smiled back at her. Seria was glad she was able to bring a smile back on the boy's face.

* * *

When they finally caught up with the group, Seria found that she was correct in her assumption. Apollo, the God of the Sun, Music, and Prophecy, was standing right in front of her. This time he wasn't wearing his Camp Half-Blood shirt. Instead, he was wearing a red sleeveless t-shirt, jeans, and his usual pair of loafers. His sandy-blonde hair was messy as usual and his signature sunglasses were propped up on the top of his head.

Before Seria could greet him, she was cut off by the sound of him clearing his throat. A feeling of dread overtook Seria, she knew what was coming up next: One of Apollo's awful haikus.

_"Green grass breaks through snow._

_Artemis pleads for my help._

_I am so cool."_

When he ended his awful poem, the sun-god grinned at everybody as if he was expecting applause. Instead, he got an annoyed critic from his sister.

"That line was only four syllables," Artemis said.

Apollo frowned, "Was it?"

"Yes." Artemis narrowed her eyes as a playful smirk etched up her child-like face. "What about, "_I am so big-headed."_

"No, no. That's six syllables. Hmm," Apollo crossed his arms and began to mutter to himself as he tried to think of a five syllable phrase to end his poem.

Percy, finally noticing Seria's presence, looked at the daughter of the God of the Underworld with disdain. "What's up with him and haikus? For a God of Poetry, he really, _really_ sucks."

"Apollo's been addicted to haikus ever since his visit to Japan," Seria explained,looking at the sun god with mild amusement. "Since then, all he's been reciting are haikus. But they all suck, so..." She shrugged, "But if you wanna hear bad, you should've heard his Limerick poems. Most of them started with, _There once was a goddess from Sparta-"_

"I've got it!" Apollo announced. "_I am so awesome_. That's five syllables!" He bowed, looking very pleased with himself.

Seria rolled her eyes and clapped her hands mockingly. "Congratulations," she said with sarcasm. "You've made yet another _awful_ haiku about yourself."

The sun god looked up at Seria with narrowed eyes, angry at whoever said that out loud. But once he realized that it was Seria who'd made the comment, his anger dissipated; he was used to the girl's harmless teasing. Then he eyed Seria's injuries; he took notice of the many bandages wrapped around the girl's arms, chest, and abdomen. "Oh gods," Apollo quickly strode over to Seria and checked out her injuries. "What in Hades' name happened to you? You look like a half-wrapped mummy!"

"Nothing happened," Seria pulled her hand away from Apollo's grasp. She knew the god meant well, but she hated it when people like him panic over her injuries. She's a demigod for Pete's sake! Of course she'd end up getting hurt in some way during quests, so there was no need to get so worked up about something that's so common with demigods, especially one born under the Big Three. "I just got roughed up a bit. Nothing serious."

"Nothing serious?! Seria you nearly d-" Grover's outburst was silenced by one of Seria's infamous glared. "Never mind."

Apollo sighed, he knew he wasn't getting anything out of Seria so he backed down...for now. "Well, it's good to see you still alive, kid." He ruffled Seria's wispy locks, which only aggravated the girl even further.

"Wait," Nico looked between Apollo and Seria. "Your friends with Apollo?" Nico grinned, "That's so cool!"

Seria laughed. "Not really as cool as you think, Nico. Being friends with Apollo just means that you have to listen to him whine all day about the smallest things."

Apollo pouted at this. "I do _not_ whine! I just...just voice out my problems!"

"That's called _'whining'_, brother." chuckled Artemis.

"Whatever!" Exasperated the sun-god. "But speaking about problems," he turned to Seria and judging by the look on his face, Seria already knew who was involved.

"What did Freya do this time?" She groaned.

"Oh, it wasn't just Freya." Apollo scowled. "This time even _Cleo_ is involved in Freya's recent _'escapades'_."

"Cleo?" Seria was definitely caught off guard by that one. Cleo usually didn't support Freya's antics against Apollo so why now? Unless... "What did _you_ do to Cleo?"

"Excuse me?" Apollo looked offended by Seria's accusation. "What do you mean what did _I_ do? I didn't do anything!"

Seria glared at the blonde deity. "Listen, Apollo," she growled. "Cleo wouldn't just prank anybody. She'd prank people who messed with her. So her getting involved in Freya's recent antics against you means that you did something to piss Cleo off. So spill."

"Spill?" Apollo repeated the phrase with an amused smirk. "Where did you learn that one?"

"From the Stoll brothers," Seria admitted. But she shook her head and jabbed Apollo's chest, emphasizing every word with a jab to his chest. "But that doesn't matter! What did you do to Cleo?"

"Okay, fine! Maybe I..." Apollo shifted nervously, "I might've nearly ran her over with my chariot a few days ago."

"What?!"

"Dude," Percy yelled. "Not cool! Why'd you do that to Cleo?!"

"It was an accident!" Apollo threw his hands up in frustration. "She was standing near the entrance of the camp and I didn't see her there. So when I drove my chariot, I nearly ran her over. NEARLY!" He emphasized the word to convey how he didn't actually harm Cleo.

"Still," retorted Percy. "You almost did. Whatever pranks they did to you since that; you deserve 'em."

"They perfumed my car."

Percy and Seria looked at the sun god in shock. "What?" They said in sync.

Apollo sighed; repeating the sentence slowly, emphasizing every word. "They. _Perfumed_. My. Car."

All the Hunters of Artemis laughed at Apollo's revelation, even Artemis laughed though she hid her mouth behind her hand to shield it. Seria had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from laughing along with everybody else. Percy on the other hand, exploded into a fit of laughter; his face almost red from lack of oxygen. Apollo, on the other hand, was seething mad. He gritted his teeth as he glared at the whole group before yelling, "Okay, okay! Ha ha ha, hee, hee...veeeery funny, I know." He crossed his arms, "Now, sis," he looked down at Artemis. "Transportation for your Hunters, right? Great timing. I'm scheduled to drive around the chariot for the day, then I'm back on my punishment."

Artemis nodded. "And for the demigods. But," she smirked, "you already knew that."

Now, Artemis was just feeding Apollo's all ready too-big-ego. But of course, Apollo accepted the little compliment happily. "Well, of course." He smiled, "I'm the God of Prophecy, so I see all and know all. Well," he clapped his hands together and faced the crowd of Hunters. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way: West. So if you miss it, you miss it."

Seria stared at the Maserati. It was a beautiful car, she admits that, but...it only had two seats. There was no way Apollo could fit everybody inside the vehicle.

"Cool car," Nico chimed.

Apollo looked down at the Italian demigod and grinned. "Thanks kid."

"How are we all gonna fit in?"

Apollo stared at Nico blankly for a few seconds and Seria swore she could almost see the gears in his brain turning as it tried to take in what Nico had said. When the sun-god looked back at his Maserati sun chariot, it was obvious that he had only noticed the problem just now. "Oh," Apollo laughed nervously. "Well, yeah. I hate changing out of sports-car mode but I suppose..." He took out some car keys from his jean's pocket and pressed the alarm button.

_Chirp, chirp._

The Maserati Spyder was enveloped in another flash of bright light causing everyone, save Artemis and Apollo, to shield their eyes. When the light had faded, the sun chariot was no longer a sleek, red sports-car. Instead, it was now a Turtle Top bus that most people would recognize as buses that are often used as transportation for schools for things like school basketball games and other competitions of the like.

Apollo looked content with the new vehicle form that his chariot had taken and faced the crowd of demigods and Hunters once more."Right," he said. "Everybody in!"

One by one, everybody filed into the now bus-shaped sun chariot. A few of Artemis' Hunters stuffed everyone's bags into the storage compartment that was on the side of the bus and Apollo would sometimes help them. Though whenever he did, the Hunter he tried to aid would recoil and glare at him like he was a rat. Whenever a Hunter did that, Seria couldn't help but feel annoyed with their choice of attitude. Apollo may be a guy but he was still a god. The Hunters should be giving him the same amount of respect that they give to Artemis. But sadly, all of Artemis' Hunters had been hard-wired to hate boys; both mortal and godly.

Before Seria could get into the chariot herself, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and tug her back. Turning her head, Seria found herself face to face with Artemis.

"Lady Artemis? what is it?" said Seria.

"Before I leave, I wanted to talk to you about something," said the goddess. "Actually, more like...give you a word of advice."

_'Advice?' _This perplexed Seria; why would Artemis want to give her advice? And on what?

"I just wanted to tell you to choose your friends carefully." The goddess looked deep into Seria's eyes. Apparently this was serious. "Not everyone is as trustful as they seem. So be wary, child of Hades. Good luck." Artemis released her hold on Seria's wrist and ran off into the forest; leaving an even more confused Seria behind her.

The Asian demigod slowly turned away and walked into the vehicle; her mind repeating Artemis' words like a mantra. Seria didn't understand why Artemis had given her that piece of advice, which sounded more like a warning really. But with the way Artemis had looked at her, Seria had a sick feeling in her gut that the goddess knew about her friendship with Luke. How? She didn't know. But Seria just felt like Artemis knew something that she didn't. Seria didn't like that feeling.


	15. NEVER Let Thalia DriveEVER!

_A/N: HEY GUYS! Look who's back from their loooooooong hiatus? I have an explaination for that though. One word: FINALS! But no matter, my schoolwork is done and I am now enjoying my summer vacation. So to celebrate, I present you the long-awaited Chapter 14! I hope you enjoy ;)_

* * *

The now bus-shaped sun chariot was filled to the brim with Hunters and demigods alike. Seria, thankfully, found a spot away from the Hunters of Artemis and was now sitting comfortably next to Nico, who seemed very excited to be on Apollo's sun chariot. Looking back behind her, Seria noticed how all the Hunters left a gap between them and the others (Percy, Grover, Nico, etc.). It almost made Seria's blood boil when she spotted Bianca doing the same; avoiding her brother, submitting to such childish anti-boy behavior. Seria hated it. When Bianca caught sight of Seria's narrowed eyes, she fidgeted nervously and looked away. Obviously she was still spooked over what had transpired back in Artemis' tent a few hours ago. That was the first time she'd seen Seria so mad, heck even Percy didn't expect to see such a display of raw anger from the usually calm demigod.

Seria snarled as she turned away from the Hunters; her mood definitely at its worst. But that was instantly broken by Nico, who was jumping up and down his seat like a rabbit high on caffeine. "This is so cool!" Nico said with a big grin on his face. He turned to Apollo and instantly, a flurry of questions darted from his mouth. "Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"

"Downsizing," Apollo replied. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those human sacrifices, so they dropped out Helios and Selene and fit their jobs into our descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was a drag at first but hey, at least I got this cool car."

Seria frowned; the look on Apollo's face when he talked about the Romans was odd. He almost seemed...upset or uncomfortable. Apollo caught sight of Seria's worried expression and flashed her a reassuring smile. His silent way of saying, _'Hey, I'm okay. No need to worry.' _But seldom does Seria really believe in that expression.

The awkward moment was immediately broken by Nico, who continued to shoot off more questions. It was a wonder to see the boy exert so much energy. Seria wondered if it was unlimited.

"So how does it work?" He asked. "I thought the sun was a big, fiery ball of gas!"

Apollo smiled down at Nico and ruffled his hair in the same manner he usually does with Seria. That was a good sign, which meant the sun god was beginning to enjoy Nico's presence.

"That rumor probably got started around the time when Artemis used to call me a _'big, fiery ball of gas'_. But seriously kid," Seria rolled her eyes. Oh no, Apollo's sun rant...again. "It all depends if you're talking astronomy or philosophy. You want to talk about astronomy? _Bah_, where's the fun in that? You wanna talk 'bout what humans _think_ about the sun? Ah, now that's more interesting." A huge grin spread across Apollo's movie star-like features. His teeth were so white, anyone could've been blinded by them...if that was actually possible (which totally might, seeing as Apollo _is_ a god). "Humans have got _a lot_ riding on the sun...er, so to speak. It keeps 'em warm, grows their crops, powers their engines, make things look more...well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human _dreams_ about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization itself. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives."

Seria shot Apollo a warning look about what he'd just said. If there's one thing Apollo often hears from Seria, it's a lecture about how humans are no different from demigods or gods alike. But sadly, Apollo continued on with his blabber.

"The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it." He looked down at Nico with a smile. "Make sense?"

Nico shook his head, "No." His simple answer cracked a smile on a few faces in the sun chariot; namely Percy, Thalia, and some Hunters here and there.

"Well then, just think of it really powerful, really _dangerous_ solar car."

"Can I drive?" Nico asked with a hopeful tone in his voice.

Apollo shook his head. "No, too young."

"Oh, oh!" Grover shot his hand out from where he was sitting.

"Nope too furry," Apollo skipped over Percy; why? Seria didn't quite know. When Apollo's sky blue eyes fell onto Seria, he grimaced. "Heck no, not you! Never again!"

Percy cocked an eyebrow and smirked, "And why not Seria? I thought you trusted her the most."

Apollo shook his head. "Oh I do, but this lady almost killed me and pretty much wrecked my sun chariot seventy years ago!"

"It was an accident!" Seria pouted at the sun god as if feigning innocence. "Besides, it was _your_ idea to let me take the wheel back then."

"I was under the impression that you were the calm one," Apollo smirked. "Sadly I was wrong. Once I released my grip on the steering wheel, you went insane. So...NO."

Seria sighed and slumped into her chair and pretended to be cross with Apollo. But he knew better than to fall for that trick; Seria used it way too often. So he passed her by and his chosen victim target was Thalia.

"Oh, why didn't I think about you earlier?!" Apollo dramatically placed his hand on his forehead; shaking his head to and fro as if he was truly angry with himself. Moments like these, Seria often wonders why Apollo isn't the God of Theatre because the blonde god sure was dramatic. "Daughter of Zeus!" He clapped his hands. "Lord of the Sky. Perfect."

Thalia's face was pale as the snow outside. For whatever reason, she didn't look to keen on the idea of driving the sun chariot (not like Seria could blame her; the vehicle was indeed dangerous). "Me?" She shook her head. "No, bad idea. No thanks."

"C'mon," Apollo egged her on. "How old are you?"

A sullen look overtook Thalia's features as she mumbled under her breathe. "I...I don't know."

Seria had almost forgotten; Thalia didn't know exactly what her age was. Very much like herself, Thalia had been somewhat suspended in time during her days as a pine tree. But from what Chiron had explained to her, Thalia still aged even in her tree form; only at a much slower rate.

Apollo tapped his chin, his eyes closed for a few seconds before they sparked back to life. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen. You're older than Seria by a few months."

"How do you know that?"

"Uh, duh," Apollo pointed to himself. "God of Prophecy remember? I don't just make music, write poetry, and drive the sun across the sky. I'm also a bona-fide psychic. Oh and," he winked at Thalia. "You'll be turning sixteen in about a week, doll."

A flash of recognition passed through Thalia's electric blue eyes, almost sending a spark through her bright orbs. "That's right, I remember now! My birthday is on December twenty-second!"

"This means you're old enough to drive with a learner's permit!"

Thalia's smile disappeared just as fast as it came. "Uh-"

Apollo waved his hand at Thalia, "I know what you're going to say."

"Really?"

Apollo nodded, "Uh-huh." A few moments of dramatic silence then, "You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot. Am I right?"

"I wasn't going to say that!" yelled Thalia; her cheeks were now a light shade of red.

"Don't sweat it!" Apollo attempted to reassure Thalia as he slowly led her to the driver's seat. "Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the other kid I trained. You're Zeus' daughter! There's no way he would actually try to blow you out of the sky." Apollo busted out in a fit of gleeful laughter, as if he had just made a hysterical joke. And judging by how he was laughing, the poor sun god was probably expecting everyone to follow suit but that didn't look like it'd be happening soon.

"Oh and here's another reassuring thought for you," Apollo leaned against one of them railings inside the bus. "Don't forget that one of your camp counselors is here to calm you down: Me!"

Seria rolled her eyes, hiding her face deep into her grey winter jacket. "That makes all of us feel _soooo_ much more safer. Thank you, Apollo."

The sun god didn't respond but he did wink at Seria before pressing a red button on the dashboard. On the front window, a sign popped up on the side. Seria squinted her eyes and attempted to read it the best she could but sadly, it was more like a mesh of letters. But if she followed her hunch, than the sign must definitely be saying something about Thalia driving.

"Take it away!" Apollo cheered. "You're gonna be a natural."

Percy scooted closer to Seria and whispered in her ear. "Yeah, a natural. A natural in killing a whole bunch of immortal girls, demigods, satyr and a god at one go."

The two Big Three demigods snickered; earning themselves a harsh glare from Thalia.

Apollo sighed, patting Thalia's shoulder reassuringly. "Speed equals heat," he said. "So start off slow, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up."

Seria had never seen Thalia go so pale before. The daughter of Zeus's grip on the steering wheel was so tight that her knuckles were turning white. Plus, her eyes were so wide, she resembled a deer meeting a car's headlights before getting run over. Okay, maybe that wasn't the best comparison, but it was appropriate.

Percy leaned over to be closer to Thalia; a worried expression was plastered on his face. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Thalia stammered, she never does that. Then, without warning, she pulled back on the steering wheel causing the bus to take a sudden lurch upward into the sky. The sudden movement sent Percy flying and crashing into the seat Grover was in. Seria and Nico felt like they were pinned to their seats; as if gravity was suddenly acting against them.

Apollo, who was clinging to the metal bar near the driver's seat, looked down at Thalia with a slightly startled (or maybe scared) look on his face. "Slower!"

"Sorry!" Thalia was panicking, "I-I've got it under control!"

Seria dared to look out the window and what she saw made her stomach do some uncomfortable summersaults. The forest where they had _"launched off_" was slightly aflame with a nice ring of trees smoking from where they once were. _'Apollo really wasn't kidding when he said this was a dangerous solar car.'_

Percy had also been looking out the window and judging from the look on his face, Seria could tell he was just as scared as everyone else. "Thalia," he tried to sound as calm as he could in this situation. "Lighten up on the accelerator."

"I've _got_ it, Percy." Thalia hissed, but Percy's orders were ignored as Thalia's foot was still pressed down on the accelerator.

"Loosen up."

"I'm loose!" Thalia was as stiff as plywood. If that was loose than Seria was the stiffest person in the bus.

"We need to veer south for Long Island." Apollo said, "Hang a left."

Thalia jerked the wheel once more sending Percy flying back into Grover and causing Seria and Nico to slam into the window that they were sitting next to. Seria could've sworn she heard one of the Hunters scream in the back.

"The other left..." Apollo suggested.

Taking the risk again, Seria peeked out of the window and for a second, her heart almost stopped. The sun chariot was now flying in airplane height. In fact, it looked like they were still ascending into the sky as it was getting darker every few minutes. She'd read up on history and was quite aware that it was now possible for man to explore space, but Seria wasn't comfortable with the thought of space travel in a _bus_.

Apollo had tensed up quite a bit when he decided to look out the window for himself. "Ah..." Apollo actually looked a bit scared. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."

Thalia frantically nodded her head and tilted the wheel with harsh force, sending the bus down at roller-coaster speed (maybe even faster). A high-pitched shriek could be heard as the bus tilted forward. Seria tried to see who screamed and to her surprise, Percy had been the origin of the shriek. Who knew he could scream so high. But all sarcasm in Seria disappeared when she noticed that the bus was now taking a nose dive toward a small New English town.

Apollo had been thrown to the back of the bus upon the vehicle's sudden descend; earning him a few shrieks from the Hunters and a few slaps to the face. The sun god had to climb back up to the driver's seat, using the seats as a railing to keep his balance.

"Take the wheel!" bleated Grover. The poor satyr was clinging to Percy as if he was a lifeline.

"No worries," Apollo tried to sound nonchalant about the situation but the look on his face told another story. "She just has to learn to- WHOA!"

The bus was now getting closer to the town and the closer it got, the hotter things became in the village. The snow that was surrounding the church was beginning to melt off with every minute as the bus descended from the sky. It's crash course, right into the church. The bus-shaped sun chariot was close enough to start causing small fires to emerge on the roofs of the village houses. Even the roof of the church was beginning to brown up and catch on fire.

"Pull up!" Seria yelled; her knuckles were white as she clung to the seat like a monkey to a tree. "Pull up now or we're all going to die!"

A wild glint in Thalia's eyes sparked up and before the sun chariot could crash into the village's church, she yanked the wheel up causing the chariot to take a sudden lurch forward into the air at the last second. Upon the sudden change in course, a blast of cold wind came through the village; putting out any of the fires that Thalia had caused. When the town disappeared from behind them, everyone in the bus released a sigh of relief. They had been inches away from death.

Apollo sighed, slumping against the metallic walls of the bus/sun-chariot. Then he gasped, pointing a finger straight out across in the water. "There!" He yelled. "Long Island dead ahead!"

Thalia winced.

"Slow down, sweetheart." Apollo sighed; he didn't sound so confident at the moment which is quite a first. "And remember, _'dead'_ is only an expression."

Thalia thundered toward the coastline of Long Island and in mere minutes, Camp Half-Blood could already be seen in the distance. The dining pavilion and the amphitheater could easily be seen; seeing as both were the largest structures in the camp. Never had Seria thought she'd be so relieved to see the camp and hopefully get back to dry land...soon.

From the driver's seat, Seria could hear Thalia mutter something under her breath like a chant. "I can do this," She muttered; her grip on the steering wheel still as tight as ever. "I can do this."

To her horror, Seria finally noticed that the sun chariot was making a head-first drop towards the camp. The distance was quickly disappearing. If they didn't stop now, the chariot would crash into the Big House.

"I can do this."

"Brake," Apollo said, his eyes were wide as saucers as he watched the ground get closer by the minute.

"I can do this!"

"BRAKE!"

Thalia slammed her foot down on the brake, sending the bus tilting forward at a forty-five degree angle before it promptly dropped into the camp's canoe lake with a loud, _FLOOOOOOSH!_ A giant wave rushed toward the shore; dowsing a few campers and the impact of the bus was large enough to send the naiads running with half-woven baskets. As the bus bobbed in the lake, the water was slightly steaming. Probably because of how much heat the chariot released. A good example of how hot the chariot must've been were the floating remains of capsized and now half-melted canoes floating on the lake's surface.

Inside the bus, the Hunters were all frozen in fear along with the small group of demigods and its driver. Nico was clinging to Seria for dear life; his olive colored face had paled considerably to an almost snow-white color. Percy and Grover were also clinging to each other; only Grover had somehow managed to throw himself onto Percy's lap during the bus' descend.

It took a few minutes for Apollo to compose himself but when he did he let out a loud laugh that made everyone jump. Had he finally snapped?

"Well," Apollo said with a brave smile. "You were certainly right, Thalia. You definitely had _everything_ under control. Now, let's go see if we boiled anyone important shall we?"

One by one, everyone exited the floating sun chariot and had to swim to shore. A few Hunters stayed behind, bent on recovering their bags, even though most of their belongings would be soaked to the bone in water by now.

Surveying the damage; the harsh landing of the sun chariot didn't really cause any real problems. A few naiads were angrily yelling in Ancient Greek at the sun god, most likely cursing him to high heaven for his violent landing. The shore-line of the lake was littered with canoes that varied from being shattered to pieces upon impact, half-melted, or a little bit of both. Amongst the wreckage of canoes, a few campers were drenched from head-to-toe; obviously they had been at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Amongst the campers that had gotten a small _"shower"_ from the sun chariot were the Stoll Brothers (who were lying on their backs with wide-eyed expressions), an angry looking Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard, Michael Yew (who had been planning on taking a dip in the lake), and a very irritated looking Noctis (he had been sleeping before the sun chariot crashed into the lake; giving him a rude wake-up call). Other than that, the landing didn't cause any casualties.

A bright tuft of red hair pushed through the crowd of demigods that had gathered around the camp lake. The bouncing ball of red yelled from the group, pushing any and every demigod aside as she walked through. "Hey! Move it, c'mon! Worried friend trying to get through! Step aside!" It was Freya. Not so far from the red-headed girl was a familiar speck of golden yellow hair and a pair of mood ring-like eyes; Cleo Morrison, Daughter of Aphrodite.

When they both saw Seria, they immediately gathered the pale demigod into a tight hug.

"You're back!" Freya smiled down at Seria. "Wow, you look awful. I guess the quest must've been _very_ eventful."

Seria just weakly smiled back. "Define...eventful."

Cleo shook her head disapprovingly at Freya. "Can't you see she's hurt, dimwit?" The daughter of Aphrodite quickly felt over Seria's wounds; gasping when she saw the stitches that had been made on her back. "Oh gods, w-what happened to you? And you better tell the truth." Her eyes flickered to a menacing shade of red. "Or I'll charm speak it out of you."

Cleo had the power of charm speak; an ability that is rare among the children of Aphrodite. The only known campers who have the ability are only Cleo and another girl named Drew. Cleo had first used her power by accident, using it to make Seria get down on her knees during their first meeting a few months ago. Nowadays, Cleo had little use for her ability. She only used it to break-up any fights in her cabin (or in camp in general) and for threatening a few people here and there (one of which is Seria).

With a tired sigh, Seria told her two friends about what had transpired during their quest. She described to them about Nico and Bianca (who she pointed out in the crowd), the fight with the manticore, the Hunters of Artemis, and so on. The more she spoke, the wider Cleo and Freya's eyes became. They hadn't been on a quest yet, so when Seria described what had happened on hers, they almost looked a tad bit envious; more so on Freya's part.

"You got to fight a giant monster?!" Freya slapped Seria's back, resulting in a pained groan from the latter. "So cool! Man, I knew you could kick-butt Skull-girl, but you had the guts to take on a giant scorpion-dude? Totally wicked!"

"Freya, watch her injuries!" Cleo pushed Freya's hand away from the tiny demigod. "You might open up her stitches." The Aphrodite girl carefully checked on the stitching, making sure none of the threads had gotten loose from Freya's back-slap or from the sun chariot's rough landing. The skin around the stitches was a little red, probably from irritation. Other than that, it all looked fine. "Whoever did these stitches was pretty good. They obviously knew what they were doing," She looked at Seria. "Was it Apollo?"

Apollo, being the patron god of medicine, could've easily healed Seria's wounds with a finger-snap...if it weren't for his punishment. So it was understandable as to why Cleo assumed it was him. But... "No, it wasn't Apollo." Seria said, "It was the lieutenant of the Hunters, Zoë Nightshade."

"Then, you're lucky she was nice enough to tend to your injuries." Cleo muttered, then she looked at Seria with a slight smirk. "So, you lost Annabeth?"

Seria nodded.

"Good riddance," the blonde girl hissed. "No one would miss her."

"Cleo!" Seria was alarmed at the girl's harsh statement. She knew Cleo and Annabeth disliked each other, but she didn't think it'd be that bad. "You don't just say that so openly! Percy's actually quite distressed about losing her, mind you. So watch what you say."

"Oh, like _you_ even like that Chase girl?" Cleo frowned, "Seria, you dislike her just as much as I do."

"I do not!" cried Seria. "I do admit one thing, I do dislike how she corrects people so suddenly. It's rude. But I do NOT dislike her to say that losing her was good."

Freya stepped in to cease the quarrel between her friends. "Um guys," she said. "Chill..." Freya, a master of words. "Let's not rip each other's heads off, shall we? Seria's back and safe in camp. We should be celebrating! Not yelling each other's heads off."

"Fine," both girls grunted, backing off from their battle of words.

"Speaking of _'in camp'_," Seria looked at Freya. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

Freya shook her head. "Nah, it's Winter Break right now for me. So I decided to pay ya'll a visit. Aren't I just the best?"

"That statement is debatable."

"Ouch," Freya feigned hurt. "Got me right in the heart, Skull-girl."

"Oh I'm sure you'll survive." Seria giggled. It definitely was nice of both Freya and Cleo to visit the camp during their school's winter break. Then she remembered a little fact that Apollo had told her. Looking up at her two friends, Seria couldn't resist but to ask. "Is it true that you both perfumed Apollo's car?"

Both girls had sly smirks stretch across their faces. "It depends on who's asking," Freya cooed.

"Apollo told me of your work," Seria grinned. "So...is it true? Or did he just make that up to get back at you?"

Cleo flipped her wavy blonde locks. "'Tis true. We perfumed his beloved sun chariot." She flashed her bright aqua colored eyes at Seria. "Why? Are you going to punish us now?"

Seria shook her head. "Nah, I won't do that...but you have tell me how you did it."

The three friends walked on into the camp. Cleo and Freya each taking turns on telling their story about their genius prank on Apollo to Seria, who smiled as they spoke. It was refreshing to see her friends act like this; it made Seria feel happy. She wouldn't have it any other way. So, they spent their free-time together...until dinner came around.


	16. A Warning

_A/N: Hello my lovelies! I'm working overtime now that I'm enjoying the freedom of summer break. So that means, MORE CHAPTERS! And to prove it; here's chapter 15! I was inspired by the song "This is War" by 30 seconds to Mars while writing this chapter. Hence the title of it being "A Warning...", it's the 1st lyric of the song and in the chapter, it's exactly what Seria gets. This chapter already marks the beginning of Seria's adventure, so I hope you enjoy it!_

_DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Percy Jackson and The Olympians or any of the series' characters. They all rightfully belong to the series' author, Rick Riordan. I only own the OCs used in the story and the edits I make here and there. :)_

_Don't forget to leave me a little feedback in the Reviews section when you're done reading! I like hearing feedback, especially if it's some sort of critique about the story._

* * *

Dinner had proved to be entertaining. With the Hunters of Artemis joining them, the Dining Pavilion was packed with endless chatter. The Artemis Table, for once, was filled. The Hunters were all like a family; chatting amongst each other, playing games, laughing. Looking on at them, Seria had to admit, she was a tad bit jealous. But she already had a home and that was with Camp Half-Blood, not the Hunters of Artemis. That will _never_ happen. Nico had adjusted well to his new home in the Hermes Cabin; he didn't mind how crowded it was, he was just happy that everyone accepted him so quickly.

Once dinner ended, Seria was ready to hit the hay. Tomorrow would be a big day, not only herself but also for the campers that had stayed for the whole year. Tomorrow Chiron announced for the traditional "Capture the Flag" game between the Hunters of Artemis and the campers of Camp Half-Blood. Seria had participated in a few rounds of the tradition back in the 1940s and if memory served her right, the Hunters had the lead in wins. It made her wonder how many wins they had right now.

_'No use dwelling on it,'_ Seria thought. Her feet made a crunching sound in the light snow that had accumulated on the ground. _'Rest up and be ready for the game tomorrow.'_

Entering the Hades Cabin, Seria immediately threw herself onto her bed; relishing the feeling of the soft mattress. Her groggy mind could barely even hear the sound of the cabin door open and close for a second time. No doubt that must've been Freya, who must've finished eating her fill for the night. It really didn't take long for Seria's eyes to droop and eventually she found herself entering the blissful state of sleep.

* * *

In her dream, Seria found herself in an unfamiliar area. She blinked her eyes owlishly as she observed her new surroundings. She was standing in a dark, foggy area. She could barely see a foot away from her. The fogginess and the perpetual darkness of the whole environment greatly resembled that of her initial dwelling place; the Underworld. In fact, when she focused on her surroundings, she _did_ assume she was in the Underworld at first. The environment was dark and cloudy; it was almost like someone had stripped away every ray of light on Earth. But she knew it was different. If this was truly the Underworld, Seria would've heard the echoing cries of despair from the tormented souls in the Fields of Punishment, but all she heard was... silence. It wasn't even the _good_ kind of silence. It was the type of silence that made you feel uncomfortable, like something wasn't right.

She tried walking around but it got her nowhere. The fog seemed to get thicker with every step that she took, shrouding her vision to the point where Seria couldn't even navigate herself back to _"Point A"_ anymore. The darkness was almost endless, resembling the eternity that most spirits face in The Fields of Asphodel. But it wasn't completely empty. As she _"walked"_ across the endless field, Seria passed by broken pieces of Greek columns. Not just any regular columns but _black_ columns that greatly resembled the types often used to build Greek temples or palaces. Wherever she was, a type of structure used to stand here and now, all that remained of its existence were little black ruins thrown haphazardly around the area.

That's when she heard it.

After walking deeper into the dark abyss, she heard a noise. It was faint, but it was still there. The noise was almost like a gasp, and then it became a groan. It sounded like someone was in pain.

Running towards the source of the sound, Seria failed to notice how the fog seemed to recede as she got closer and closer to the source. A shadow of a figure appeared through the now fading fog. The figure was knelt over on their knees with their hands held up as if they were carrying something...or holding something up.

"H...help!" The figure groaned. The voice...it sent a cold chill down Seria's spine. She knew that voice. She knew it all too well.

Seria froze as she stood in front of the kneeling figure. "No," she gasped, taking a step back. "It can't be..."

The figure was Luke. He was in immense pain. His clothes were in tatters and his hair was disheveled, as if he had just came out of a tough fight. Luke was completely drenched in sweat. Whatever he was trying to hold up, it was heavy. Luke's arms were literally trembling from the strain. Anytime now, Seria was expecting the giant black mass that seemed to build up above Luke to completely collapse onto the son of Hermes.

"Luke!" Seria cried. She tried to reach out to help him but it felt like something was holding her back. "Luke, no!" Was he being punished? Had he gotten caught by Kronos during their conversations? Seria hoped that it was neither of the two.

Luke looked up at Seria, as if he could see her but he obviously didn't; his gaze looked beyond from where Seria was. "You...you can't do this to me." He croaked, his body trembling even more than last time. "Kronos _needs_ me."

A deep, rumbling laugh echoed throughout the area. The laugh was so deep that Seria could feel her very bones shudder at the sound.

"I can do whatever I please," said the voice. A large figure stepped into the foggy clearing. Seria couldn't clearly see his features but whoever was talking to Luke was _colossal_. Seria could barely even come up to the figure's height. His shoulders were big and broad, resembling that of a _"football player on steroids."_ (A saying that the Stoll brothers had taught to Seria.)

"You should've expected this when Kronos ordered you to free me." The voice laughed again. It made Seria's blood boil to know that it was Kronos who placed Luke in this condition. "You should've known about my burden, demigod. Now you must suffer how I suffered."

"But," Luke's voice cracked. He was getting tired. "I'm your ally!"

"Unless you can get someone to take my burden from you, you are good as dead."

When her vision began to wane, Seria clung to the dream. She didn't want to leave Luke like this; she didn't want him to suffer. "No!" She screeched, desperately trying to reach out to the blonde. "Luke! Don't worry, I'll save you! I'll take your burden if I must!" She stretched out her arm as far as she could as she tried to touch the boy, just so that in some way he would know that she was there. "I'll find you! I promise!"

Then darkness overtook her once more.

* * *

With a gasp, Seria woke from the nightmare. Her eyes were wild with fear and her body was drenched in a cold sweat.

_'It was a dream,_'Seria combed back her wet hair as she tried to even out her breathing. _'A nightmare, just a nightmare. But...was it really?'_ For a nightmare, it seemed so real... too real. As if she had actually been standing there during the conversation. Her dream was almost like... a vision, a warning.

"He's in trouble," she murmured. Luke was in trouble; his life could be on the line and here she was, lounging around in camp. She needed to save him...but how?

A groan from her side broke Seria from her thoughts. Looking to her left, Seria saw Freya sleeping on a bed a few feet away from hers. The red-head was shifting in her sleep. Seria must've made quite a ruckus to make her shift; usually Freya slept like a rock and stayed in the same sleeping position for the whole night.

Seria faintly remembered Artemis' warning from the other day; to be wary of those who she befriends. Was her vision and Artemis' warning connected? Was it all connected to Luke?

Staring at her alarm clock, Seria noticed that it was still four o'clock on the morning. It was too early for her to be worrying/planning like this. She didn't want to keep Luke waiting but what use would she be if she just stormed out of camp without a sturdy plan.

_'I'll think of something during the day,'_ Seria sighed. _'I need all the energy I need today. We still need to face the Hunters in Capture the Flag. Maybe something will happen that might open up some possibilities for me to go search for Luke.'_

Seria slowly laid herself back into her bed, pulling the covers closer to her as she fell into an uneasy sleep. But one last thought wrung in her mind before sleep inched toward her once more.

_'Things are stirring...'_


	17. Capture the Flag

_**A/N: **Hello, readers! Twisted here with another chapter to Gamble with Fate! I think you can all guess from the chapter's title that this one is centered around the Capture the Flag match between the Hunters and the campers of Camp Half-Blood. This chapter's a little long, but for good reason: there's some action in here, most of which isn't found in the book. So you all get to see what the match looked like in the eyes of two of the stories' main characters: Seria and Freya. Also, something BIG happens in this chapter. What exactly? Well, you'll have to read it and find out for yourself. Before we continue on, let's respond to a few of the reviews shall we?_

**_I am Katie Daughter of Demeter:_**_Yeah it's really great to update again. School really took up most of my time, especially with Finals coming up. But no worries, I am now free from the stress of education and I'm back to updating the story for your entertainment! Also, awesomness! My spelling is improving (no thanks to you, my lovely BETA reader :3). Also, I noted the changes and the chapter had been updated. :)_

**_Curious:_**_Hmm, DOES Percy like Cleo? That has yet to be revealed~ But what do you think? Also, with summer vacation, my update schedule has changed to Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and weekends. So the next update after this one will be on Friday. And thank you for the compliment. I hope you continue reading the story and enjoying it. :)_

_Thank you for your comments, they are greatly appreciated! More comments and reviews are still loved, so when you're done reading, hit that lovely review button and type me up some stuff that you'd like to say about the story so far. :) Now let's get on with the story! Let's-a go!_

**_DISCLAIMER:_**_I do NOT own Percy Jackson and The Olympians. All characters and the series rightfully belongs to the book series' author, Rick Riordan. I only own the OCs used here and a few of the changes. :) Everything here is written for entertainment purposes only._

* * *

**(FREYA'S POV)**

If there was one thing Freya was good at, it was to be enthusiastic about pretty much anything that catches her attention. This time her attention was solely focused on the Capture the Flag match against the Hunters of Artemis. Freya didn't really understand why some of the campers weren't looking forward to facing the Hunters; she thought it all as one _"friendly"_ game. Even when Michael had to explain the dangers of Capture the Flag, Freya's excitement never faltered. She was ready for an actual challenge. The game might be her ticket to finally getting claimed and finding out who her mother is. She was pretty sure it was a goddess since she was also sure her father was her actual biological father and that he was perfectly normal, nothing god-like whatsoever. After all, she looks exactly like him. The only difference was her eyes; no one in her father's family has bright hazel eyes like she does. So that meant that part was inherited from her mother.

Nightfall didn't come fast enough for her. By the time the sun was already setting over the horizon, Freya was already waiting in the Dining Pavilion; decked out in the camp's usual armor and donned a blue-feathered bronze helmet. Before, the armor and helmet would hang off her body like cloth over a tree but after a few months of training, Freya had built up quite a bit of muscle so the armor actually fit her...somewhat.

Shifting from foot-to-foot, Freya looked anxiously around the area. Everyone took too long! She wondered why Apollo couldn't have just made the sun set earlier today so that they could get things started. Speaking of the sun god...

Apollo caught sight of Freya hanging about the Dining Pavilion and was now making his way toward her. With that ever-so cocky grin on his face, Apollo looked down at Freya and said, "Wow, you're here early. That's a first," he chuckled. His laugh sent Freya's face burning...but not in the good way. "Usually you're late."

"Well, I actually _want_ to start this game!" She frowned at the sun god. She hated his presence and he knew that better than anyone else. So why does he continue to pester her? That was always the question that echoed in the back of her mind. "So sorry for being excited," she hissed.

Apollo raised his hands up in the air. "Whoa, feisty," he chuckled. "Calm down, Blake. I was just teasing you. No insults this time."

She narrowed her eyes at the blonde man. _'Why no insults? That's how you usually greet me...'_

Apollo sighed; obviously sensing that he wasn't wanted here. "I guess I'll just leave you to your thoughts then." He backed away from Freya and was about to turn and leave but he looked back at the red-head. "Have fun, 'kay?" He smiled at her before he finally left the area.

Freya sat there in the Dining Pavilion with wide eyes. Apollo had s_miled_ at her. Not a grin or a smirk like he usually does...but a smile!

_'Wait,'_ she caught herself mid-rant. _'Why am I making such a big deal about this? He smiles at everyone.'_

_'He doesn't smile at you.' _said the evil, little voice in her head.

Shaking her head, Freya threw the thought out of her mind. Apollo was acting strange; he wasn't acting like the Apollo that she usually sees. It made her feel weird, but Freya just blamed everything on her nerves and ADHD.

When dinner _finally_ came around, the Dining Pavilion was packed with demigods decked out in matching leather armor. No one really ate much or anything at all; everyone was just way too busy thinking about the match. From what Freya had heard around camp, apparently the Hunters were in the lead when it came to total number of wins in Capture the Flag. Which explains why everyone was so uneasy; they were afraid that they'd lose...again.

"Are the Hunters seriously _that_ tough to beat?" Freya turned to Michael, who was shouldering his quiver over his shoulder.

"Yes," he answered in a heartbeat. "I mean, I don't want to talk bad against my dad but...Artemis trains her Hunters upfront. She's there for them, corrects their mistakes, and teaches them everything she knows. While we," he frowned; his eyes down-cast. "We have to learn for ourselves. Before dad got sent down here, the Apollo Cabin learned archery on our own. The senior campers of our cabin are always in charge of the new kids, so we just pass down our skills to the others."

Freya cocked an eyebrow. "I still don't see the difference here, Yew. The Hunters _and_ Apollo kids are both skilled-archers."

"The Hunters have more tricks up their sleeves compared to us." Michael grabbed his bow and sighed, "Listen, I don't want to talk about this okay? Can we just drop it?"

Freya sighed; she didn't know what Michael had gotten all worked up about, but she assumed it had something to do with the _"pride of the cabin."_

Freya pushed herself off of the comfort of her seat and made her way to the array of weapons that the Hephaestus kids had lined up for anyone who didn't have a weapon of their own. It always amazed her how a bunch of kids her age had managed to produce some cool looking and extremely dangerous weapons of better quality compared to other blacksmiths that may or may not be around the New York area. Deciding to use a simple sword, she just grabbed the first blade she saw and made her way out of the pavilion.

Outside near the border of the camp lied a huge forest area that was always used for Capture the Flag matches. It provided good hideouts for both teams when they needed to position their respective flags. Plus, everyone had to admit, everything is always a lot more fun when you place it in a deep forest area.

The forest was populated by tall pine trees and other types of trees, most being homes to all of the camp's local dryads, or tree nymphs. Other magical creatures lived in the forest, like satyrs and naiads, etc. But Freya also knew that monsters could also dwell there; which is why Chiron never really let any of the campers go into the forest unless it was for a round of Capture the Flag or an errand of some sort.

Near the forest, Freya could see Seria, Thalia, and Percy talking amongst each other. It was so fitting that the children of the Big Three would sort of act like co-leaders, though all three seemed reluctant to share the title...or even have it.

Staring at Seria and Thalia, Freya couldn't help but feel a little...jealous. They both knew who their godly parent was and said god respected them. Zeus had saved Thalia from death by turning her into a tree (Though Thalia wasn't exactly happy about it, it was still a fatherly thing to do.) and Hades obviously favored Seria. If he didn't then why would he let her continue living so easily? He would've sent someone or something to grab Seria and take her back to the Underworld, not let her return from the dead and let her live if he didn't favor her. They were lucky their parents showed that they cared in some way. It also didn't help that they were respected in camp. Seria being the famous Lost Demigod and Thalia being a child of Zeus, everyone looked at them with respect and were willing to follow their orders. If it had been Freya, nobody would really take her seriously.

With a heavy sigh, Freya forced a smile on her face and approached the trio. "Hey guys!" She hollared to the trio, waving her hand to greet them at the same time.

The three demigods turned to her, acknowledging her presence. Out of the three, Seria was the only one who smiled and returned the greeting with a simple, "Hello Freya," before going back to the discussion.

Yep, totally respected...

"You're frowning."

Freya turned her head and noticed that Cleo had somehow manifested right next to her. For a dramatic beauty queen, the girl could move as quietly and quickly as a sneaky cat. "Where did you come from?"

"My mother's womb," Cleo stated in a bland tone. "I just walked up from behind you after I got all armored up for the game."

Cleo was wearing the same matching leather armor that everyone wore; only on her, it looked so wrong. For the event, Cleo had been forced to change out of her favorite knee-length skirt and wear a pair of old skinny jeans; borrowed from yours truly.

"Okay, TMI." Freya chuckled. She was glad Cleo was her friend. Cleo was good at sensing whenever Freya needed to be comforted or at least needed someone to talk to. Every time she felt down, Cleo always found a way to contact her.

"So," Freya kicked a nearby stone across the ground; not minding that it managed land next to Percy's leg. "How are things with you and fish boy? I heard you guys had a fight earlier."

Fight was an understatement. Cleo and Percy had a full-blown screaming match near the Big House. Apparently Cleo had said something about Annabeth (probably the same thing she said to Seria when she'd come back to camp) and Percy didn't really take it too well. By the time Chiron had broken up their feud, both demigods walked away steaming mad and slightly damp (Percy accidentally activated the sprinklers during his rage).

Cleo frowned; her usually bright eyes dulled at the mention of Percy's name. "How do you think it's going? He hasn't talked to me since."

"Yeah, it was a stupid question. Sorry," Freya apologized. She felt bad for her friend. She knew how much Cleo liked Percy, so of course the fight really put a damper on her mood. "But, you seriously shouldn't have said what you said to him."

Cleo glared at Freya but the red-head blatantly ignored it and continued on. "He was already upset with losing her on their quest," Freya explained, hoping Cleo would see reason and just apologize to Percy already. "You telling him that losing Annabeth was a good thing... Well, you just made him feel worse. Also, I don't think any guy would appreciate it when a girl tells them losing a friend was a good thing."

Cleo scowled. "Look who's talking."

"Excuse me?"

"You and Apollo," Cleo scoffed. "I swear, you _both_ are so dense when it comes to relationships. I mean _come on!_ Don't you understand why he's being nice to you?!"

Freya blinked owlishly. She didn't really grasp what Cleo was trying to say but obviously the sun god has some kind of motif as to why he's suddenly being nice. "Cleo, what are you trying to sa-?"

_PHOOOOOOOT!_

The sound of a horn pierced the atmosphere, catching everyone's attention. Standing on the pavilion was Chiron with a horn in his hand. Left to him was Mr. D, sitting down at his cabin's dining table, sipping his Diet Coke with a bored look on his face. To the right of Chiron was Apollo, who had an excited glimmer in his eyes. It had been ages since he'd seen an actual Capture the Flag match between the campers and his sister's Hunters. So he was looking forward to the following event.

Both campers and Hunters gathered around the centaur and the two gods; some eager, most nervous, to begin the match.

"Heroes!" Chiron called in a loud booming voice. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line! Blue Team- Camp Half-Blood- shall take the west woods! Hunters of Artemis- Red Team- shall take the east woods! I will serve as referee and Apollo will act as battlefield medic!" The blonde man waved his hand lightly, as if to remind everyone that he was Apollo. "No _intentional _maiming, please! All magical items _are_ allowed! To your positions!"

"Wait, did he just say _'No intentional maiming'_?!" Freya's outburst fell upon deaf ears as all the campers ran for the west side of the woods with Thalia in front, leading them with a loud cry.

"Blue Team! Follow me!"

With a dejected sigh, Freya jogged after the large group of armored demigods. Slowly she was beginning to think that Capture the Flag wasn't going to be like how she plays it back at home.

* * *

Compared to how it looks on the outside, the inside of the woods wasn't so scary. Despite the darkness that comes with the night, the full moon was able to provide enough light for the whole group of campers to find the perfect spot to place their flag. It was a giant pile of large boulders that greatly resemble a fist coming out of the earth. Seria told her that the formation was called _"Zeus's Fist"_ because from a certain angle it did look like a fist. Any other angle, the formation looks more like a giant pile of deer droppings, but Chiron wouldn't let them re-name it as _"The Poop Pile"_ in fear of offending the King of Olympus.

Thalia climbed to the top of the rock formation and slammed the flag right on top. From its current height, any one of the Hunters would be able to see it. But to retrieve it wouldn't be easy; they'd have to climb the colossal rock pile to reach their flag. Even when Thalia had to climb, it took her a while to even reach the top.

Standing from the top of Zeus' Fist, Thalia looked down at the team of demigod campers. The moonlight hit her straight on, creating a natural spotlight. "Okay, so here's the plan," she announced; her voice nearly echoed in the woods, so it easily caught everyone's attention. "Seria and Silena will lead a decoy team to the left. You two are in charge there, so make sure to keep the Hunters busy, got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" chimed both girls.

"Take Laurel and Jason with you. They're fast runners." She pointed to the two sons of Hermes who were eager to be sent into the fray. Thalia's eyes hardened as she seemed to enter into the role of _"Leader"_ for their team. "You guys will make a wide arc around the Hunters and attract as many as you can. While they're distracted, I'll take the main raiding party around to the right and catch them by surprise."

Everyone in the Blue Team nodded their heads in agreement. Thalia was a born leader, so no one really dared to question her orders. Besides, the plan sounded pretty fool-proof.

"What are _we _supposed to do?" Nico yelled; motioning towards a small portion of campers, some of which included him, the Stoll Brothers, Michael Yew, Lee Fletcher, Noctis Veniz, Cleo, and Freya.

Percy stepped up in front; when he and Cleo made eye-contact, both immediately shifted their attention elsewhere. It was almost painful for Freya to watch. She could tell it would be a long time until one of them finally apologizes to the other.

"Nico, Beckendorf, and the Stoll brothers will stay here and defend the flag." Percy stated. His sea green eyes were narrowed slightly, as if he was challenging anyone to question _his_ orders compared to Thalia's.

Beckendorf and the Stoll brothers had no complaints, but that didn't mean Nico didn't either. "What?!" cried the young boy. "But I wanna fight! Why do I have to stay behind and guard the flag?!"

Seria looked at Nico with a soft gaze. It almost caught Freya off guard to see the daughter of Hades look so...motherly. "Nico, you have to understand that our version of Capture the Flag is different from the usual version. People can actually get hurt and since you're still a new camper, it's better to play it safe than to rush in blind."

"But-"

"Nico," Seria's tone became harsher. "You have to _stay behind_. It's for your own good."

With a pout, Nico crossed his arms and sighed. "Okay, I'll help defend the flag."

Percy sent Seria a thankful look before continuing. "We will also have a group set up to defend the boundary line in case any of the Hunters pass by Thalia and Seria's groups." He looked at the remaining demigods. "That'll be you guys. Lee, you're in charge of this team."

"Yes, sir," Lee grinned.

"You sure you want _me_ to help defend the boundary line?" Noctis yawned. The darkly dressed boy was almost invisible in the darkness. In fact, Freya almost forgot that he was even there.

"Noctis, you have to play your part," piped up one of Mr. D's kids; a short and stout girl named Samantha, but everyone calls her Sam. "It's only fair."

Almost instantly, the raven-haired boy nodded his head. "Okay then, I'll help."

"That was easy," snickered Conner Stoll.

"Anything else you want to say Percy?" asked Thalia.

Percy stayed silent for a while but he said one last thing before everyone dispersed. "Keep a sharp defense. Remember, we're dealing with Artemis' Hunters. So _don't_ underestimate them. I'll also be roving, so yell if you need help."

"And don't leave your posts!" Thalia added in.

"Unless you see a golden opportunity," said Percy.

Thalia scowled. "Just _don't_ leave your post."

"Unless-"

"Percy!" Thalia touched Percy's arm and instantly a spark of electricity flared from her fingertips, hitting Percy dead-on.

"Ow!" Percy winced, jumping back a step upon contact.

"Sorry," Thalia grumbled, but she didn't sound like she meant it. "Now, is everybody clear?"

Everyone nodded and once the horn blared, they all separated into their respective groups. The game had begun.

* * *

**~ (SERIA'S POV) ~**

Once Chiron sounded the horn, the game had finally been sent into motion. Everyone immediately separated into their respective groups and got to work. Thalia took her moderately sized group east to prepare for the surprise attack. Percy stayed behind to keep an eye on the flag and Lee swiftly lead his team to the boundary line to guard it.

Silena, despite being a child of Aphrodite, was fast. She easily led the group through the dark woods and past the boundary line. Seria's heart was pumping fast, adrenalin slowly kicking her body into overdrive. It was nightfall, this was Seria's element. If anyone had an advantage, it was her. She quickly got her twin swords out and prepared for their decoy.

In the darkness, it was rather easy to spot the Hunters of Artemis. Their silver ski jackets shined in the moonlight, making them easy targets to spot. But if there's one thing Seria knows it's that you should _never_ underestimate a Hunter. Despite their flashy clothing, they were smart, clever, and fast. If you let your guard down for one second, it could already mean Game Over for you. So if their plan was going to work, they had to time it just right.

"Okay," Silena whispered. They were all hiding behind the towering pine trees; making sure none of the Hunters could spot them just yet. "How do you suppose we should do this?"

Seria peeked at the Hunters and scanned the surrounding area. Their flag wasn't anywhere in sight, meaning they hid it further into the forest but there were at least ten Hunters standing guard. If Seria used her shadows to knock out a few of them, that would be a big enough distraction to catch their attention. But how do they distract them without getting caught in the process?

"I got an idea," Seria whispered. She motioned the others to come closer as she whispered the first half of her plan. "After I jostle them around, Jason and Laurel will run out. No doubt some of the Hunters will chase you guys. Make sure to lead them away from their base, so Thalia can have a better chance in her ambush."

The two males nodded their heads.

"Then, Silena and I will rush at the remaining Hunters."

"Wait, what?" cried the brunette. "Why me? I'm not that good at fighting."

Seria frowned at the fair-skinned girl. "You're part of the decoy team, Beauregard. You really don't have a choice."

"Fine," Silena groaned; giving in to Seria's plan.

"As I was saying," Seria continued. "Silena and I will rush the remaining Hunters. If we can, we'll lead them away as well, probably towards our boundary line so Lee's group can help us out." The daughter of Hades' eyes sparkled with excitement. She hadn't played Capture the Flag for more than seventy years; it felt good to be a part of it again. "Everybody ready?"

Everyone nodded.

Seria looked at the group of Hunters. "Alright then. Get ready," She thrust her right hand forward and instantly, a wave of shadows knocked over three of the ten Hunters. Just like she'd expected, it had caught their attention and the guards were already wide-eyed and alert. "Go, go!" Seria called.

Laurel and Jason took off to the east. The Hunters spotted the two and instantly five of them took the bait.

With three guards down and five distracted; that only left two guards for Seria and Silena to deal with.

"That was a lot easier than I thought," Silena giggled. "Two Hunters should be a piece of cake."

"Don't underestimate a Hunter, Silena." Seria warned. "Just because there's only two left, doesn't mean we've won the battle yet. Remember, a cornered animal becomes more aggressive in order to defend itself."

The brunette girl nodded her head and silently began to count down from three. "Three...two..." She raised her sword and ran forward, "ATTACK!"

Seria laughed and followed Silena's example; both of her swords, The Gorgon's Eyes, were drawn and they gleamed in the moonlight. The jewel-like serpent eyes gave off a malicious aura that paralyzed the two surprised Hunters.

Silena jumped onto the first paralyzed Hunter and knocked her to the ground. Seria on the other hand, swung her left sword forward and slammed the butt of her sword against the Hunter's head. It was a one-hit KO and the Hunter hit the ground, unconscious.

Silena got up from the ground after pummeling her chosen Hunter into Tartarus, figuratively speaking. "See!" She grinned. "It wasn't _that_ hard! '_Don't underestimate a Hunter'_ my butt! These guys are all talk and no bite!"

Silena busted out into a loud chorus of laughter but in the blink of an eye...

_SWOOSH!_

"HEY!" Silena found herself wrapped entirely in some sort of rope that had came out from nowhere.

"ATTACK!"

A loud battle-cry echoed throughout the area and Seria found herself staring at a whole mini-platoon of Hunters charging straight at her. Instead of her and Silena acting as the decoys, they ended up falling into a trap themselves.

"Go! Run, Seria!" cried the fallen demigod.

Silena didn't need to tell her twice; Seria quickly dashed off toward the boundary line, praying to the gods (specifically praying to either Athena or Ares) that the Boundary Defense Team was having much better luck compared to her Decoy Team.

Clenching her eyes shut and focusing hard, Seria willed herself to shadow travel. If she managed to do that, than the daughter of Hades would be able to easily shake off her pursuers and probably gain the upper-hand. But sadly, the Fates were not looking down kindly at her. Seria was already tired from her little shadow wave. Shadow traveling took a lot of energy; energy Seria did not have. She had to stick to sprinting madly through the forest.

A multitude of arrows were being fired from behind her and Seria could only manage to dodge a few of them. Most of the arrows, thankfully, missed hitting her directly and only managed to knick her skin and clothes here and there. Other than that, Seria had to resort to running in a zigzag formation to avoid any direct hits.

When she finally crossed the boundary line, Seria immediately cried for help. "GUYS! PERCY! ANYBODY?! I NEED HELP, PRONTO!"

Nobody came.

Seria skidded to a stop and observed the area. There were footprints everywhere; showing that the Hunters may have attacked the boundary line not so long ago. Plus the arrows sticking out from the ground and trees and the slash marks everywhere proved that there indeed was a battle.

Not so far from where she was, Seria could hear the sound of more fighting nearby. She had to help, but first she had to deal with her own pursuers. Closing her eyes, Seria focused hard. What she was going to do next was seriously going to drain her energy, but it would definitely keep her pursuers busy. With a loud yell, Seria slammed her fist down to the ground and a moderately sized fissure opened up from the ground. The oncoming Hunters stopped where they were and stared down at the hole with large eyes. It would take a while for them to cross over it without risking falling straight down into the Underworld.

Seria pulled off a tired smile and gave the group a two-fingered salute before running towards the source of the noises.

In the distance, Seria could make out a few silhouettes fighting. As she got closer, the silhouettes formed colors, then actual faces that she recognized. It was Lee's team, and they were cornered.

Lee and Michael were knocked out on the ground, along with Sam and a few other members of the Defense Team. The only ones that were still fighting were Cleo, Freya, and surprisingly, Noctis. Cleo and Freya were doing a good job of taking down a few Hunters and keeping most of their attackers at bay. Noctis, however, looked like he was going to pass out from exhaustion any minute.

"Hold on," she called, pushing her tired legs to run towards the group. "I'll help!"

But right after she said that, Seria felt something snag her leg and then before she could even make another sound, she found herself hanging upside-down from a tree. She had gotten herself caught in one of the Hunters' traps. It didn't help that her outburst had gotten everyone's attention, meaning Freya and the others were distracted.

The five Hunters that had surrounded the small band of campers immediately dispatched Noctis and Cleo. Noctis was hit in the gut by a quick jab of a bow and he was down for the count. Cleo was pummeled by the large-sized Hunter, Phoebe, and was pinned to the ground. That left Freya as the last standing demigod of her group.

One of the Hunters of the group smirked and whipped out an arrow from her quiver. She pointed it at Freya with the tip just inches from her neck. "Surrender, sister. Don't make this hard for yourself."

Freya sneered; Seria was smart enough to know that the red-head was angry. No, scratch that. She was pissed. "Surrender? Sorry, that word is not available in the Blake dictionary. And _sister?_ Lady, do I look like a nun to you?! I ain't your sister!" She slapped the arrow out of the Hunter's hand. "I'm the demigod who's gonna kick your sorry little butt for messing with _my_ friends!"

The air around the area seemed to be getting hotter by the second. Snow began to melt off the branches of the trees and disappear from the ground. Then, the amazing happened; a red glowing symbol slowly materialized beneath Freya's feet. It almost looked like a pentagram, a symbol closely linked to magic and witchcraft.

"F-Freya?" Seria meekly called out as she watched her friend's eyes glow with power.

It was like her friend couldn't even hear her. Seria watched as fire formed in Freya's palms and around her in a perfect circle. The Hunters slowly began to back away, fear evident in their eyes. Then in one horrible second, Freya raised her hands upwards, the flames following her movements, and then she pushed them outwards, sending a wave of fire throughout the area. The Hunters let out a scream of terror as a blast of heat engulfed them. As the flames approached Seria, she let out a pain-filled scream as the fire singed her jacket and burned her hand.

Thankfully the unison of both Seria's and the group of Hunters' screams attracted the attention of Chiron, Apollo, Mr. D, and the demigods and Hunters that were taken to the battlefield medic. The noises also snapped Freya out of her power-driven rage.

A group of onlookers approached the area and when they saw the damage that had been done, _everyon_e was speechless; even Mr. D was shocked. Freya's fire burst set most of the surrounding trees aflame and all of the snow was gone. It had all melted upon contact with Freya's red-hot flames.

"What in Zeus' name-" Chiron stared at the damage in shock. Then he heard the whimper of a certain child of Hades, who was still hanging from a tree upside-down. "Oh gods! Seria!"

Freya looked up at Seria and gasped; Seria's hand was slightly red, her skin raw from the flames. "Oh my...S-Seria I-I'm sorry!"

Apollo was already working on the Hunters and demigods that were knocked out from either the attack or the ambush; maybe even both. The sun god heard Freya's apology and stared at her in disbelief. "_You_ did this?"

Chiron released Seria from her trap and gently laid her down on the ground; tending to her minor burn. But he first turned to Freya and stared down at her. His gaze was hard, not kind like it usually was. "Is it true?" He asked. "Did you do this, Freya?"

Freya could only nod her head.

Then with a loud voice, Chiron announced. "Hail, Freya Brittany Blake! Daughter of Hecate, Goddess of Magic!"

The glowing pentagram beneath Freya's feet glowed even brighter upon the announcement. Apollo could only stare at Freya with wide eyes. "You're...a child of Hecate?"

Freya was silent; the shock was almost too much for her. She had just harmed her best friend and had been claimed, all in a matter of minutes.

* * *

_So? Any reactions? Maybe a "YAY! FREYA HAS BEEN CLAIMED!" Let me know by sending a review ;).  
_

_Also, I have a favor for you guys. As you know, I have a deviantART account where I post artwork and fanart that I tend to draw out from time-to-time. Since it's summer, I'm trying to earn some money for my college fund (which is getting closer as my junior year ends). So my favor is, if any of you guys are interested, can you please commission some artwork from me? Just hit the link to learn more: #/art/SUMMER-BEGINS-AND-COMMISSIONS-ARE-OPEN-360313601?_sid=25d16962 PLEASE AND THANK YOU!_

_Well, that ends that. See you next time, readers! Buh-bye! -POOF-_


	18. The Prophecy - Revealed-

**A/N:** _Hello, readers! Twisted here with ch. 17 of Gamble with Fate! Would you look at that number, people? Chapter 17. We're close to hitting the twenties and this story is just beginning! I'm excited actually. Everytime I type and upload a new chapter, I fell giddy just because each chapter brings us closer to finding out how this will all end with Seria, Cleo, and Freya. I wonder you guys have gotten attatched to at least one of the three girls. Maybe you should tell me which one is your favorite. :) Anyways, let's answer a review, shall we?_

**_I am Katie Daughter of Demeter:_****_My beloved BETA reader! Yep, Freya has officially been claimed and by Hecate, Goddess of Magic. I actually had a hard time deciding which goddess would claim Freya and it actually came down between Hecate and Hestia. At first, Hestia would've been a nice choice, especially since Freya has a thing for fire but then I remembered that Hestia is a VIRGIN goddesss, very much like Artemis (and Athena, sort of). So that couldn't really work, so Hecate was chosen. What goddess did YOU think Freya was going to be the child of?_**

_Let's get on with the story shall we? Please leave me a review after you're reading. Any comments or critiques are very much appreciated here. It's always nice to get some feedback, y'know._

**_DISCLAIMER:_**_ I do NOT own Percy Jackson and The Olympians nor any of its characters. Any characters here and the book series itself rightfully belongs to the series' author, Rick Riordan. I only own the OCs used and the small changes made to the story. This was written only for entertainment purposes. :)_

* * *

**[FREYA]**

Freya faced the crowd of campers with disdain; she didn't know how to explain herself. She didn't know that she was a daughter of Hecate. She didn't know that her abilities would be so...uncontrollable. From behind her, Cleo and the others rose from the ground; all sore and unaware of what had transpired. But when they saw all the campers and Hunters looking straight at Freya, they all did the same, only with confusion.

"Freya?" Cleo said, rising to her feet. "Did...did something happen?"

She couldn't face her best friend, not like this. But she couldn't just lie to her as well. "Something did happen, Cleo. I-"

Her sentence went unfinished when Noctis caught sight of the silver banner of the Hunters making its way over to the boundary line.

"Look!" Noctis shouted. "Percy got the Hunters' banner!"

Immediately all attention that was on Freya switched to Percy. Cheers erupted from all the campers and the Hunters all groaned; victory would surely belong to the campers. But...

"Wait!" Apollo called; his eyes were squinted as he tried to see something in the distance. "Looks like Percy's not the only one who nabbed a banner," he pointed over to the opposite side, the Blue Team's side.

Sure enough, running as fast as a gazelle, Zoë had stolen the blue banner of Camp Half-Blood. Now the cheering and the groaning were reversed. Immediately, the groups of campers and Hunters ran towards the boundary line to see who would cross it first: Zoë or Percy?

Freya sighed in relief; she was off the hook, for now. A hand fell upon her shoulder and the redhead reluctantly turned around to face whoever grabbed her. It was Apollo, and he was giving her a long, hard look. "Don't think we're just going to let this go so easily, Freya." Then he turned away from her and helped Seria with her burnt hand.

Cleo cast Freya a suspicious look. "Okay, now I know something's up. What happened _exactly_ after I got my butt handed to me by the Hunters?"

Freya shook her head. "I promise, I'll tell you later." She grabbed Cleo's hand and forced a grin onto her face. "Let's go see who'll cross the boundary line, yeah?"

Freya knew by the look on Cleo's face that this conversation was not over, not by a long shot. But the daughter of Aphrodite nodded her head, allowing herself to be dragged to the boundary line by Freya, who continued to force her happy demeanor.

By the time they made it over to the boundary line, Percy had just spotted Zoë with the camp's team banner.

"No!" The son of Poseidon growled; pushing his legs to move faster.

Surrounding the two racing teens, campers and Hunters alike were chanting either of the two's names. Encouraging either one to move faster and claim victory for their respective teams.

Cleo and Freya watched intently as Percy was about to cross the boundary line. But, Zoë bolted over to her side before Percy could even get close enough to his. To top it all off, she made sure to slam him to the ground for good measure.

Cheers erupted from all the Hunters as they converged to their side of the forest and surrounded Zoë; lifting her high up into the air as she raised the camp's banner with triumph. A smug smile was on the senior Hunter's face; a smile that Freya wanted to char right off. On the camp's side, all the demigods threw their weapons down with disappointment. Heck, even Chiron looked upset. The centaur had arrived to the area with both Stoll brothers laid out on his back and they both looked like they'd been trampled on by a Minotaur.

"The Hunters win." He announced without an ounce of pleasure in his voice. Under his breath, he muttered, "For the fifty-sixth time in the row." Now that wasn't a very pleasant thought.

Cleo walked towards Percy, who remained sprawled onto the mossy ground, and held out her hand for Percy to grab onto. But the brunette just frowned, not even sparing Cleo a look as he forced himself back onto his feet. Freya knew the two weren't on the best of terms anymore, but the sea demigod didn't need to be so rude. The look of hurt that Cleo had on her face almost made Freya want to pummel Percy back onto the ground herself.

"So," from behind the group came Seria who looked much better than she did last time. No doubt, Apollo had finished patching her up since her hand no longer looked raw but there was still some gauze wrapped around her wrist. "I'm guessing we lost then."

Lee looked at the shadowy-eyed girl and glumly nodded his head. Michael looked like he was beating himself up inside for what had happened. In fact, everyone looked like all they wanted to do now was go back to bed and forget about today.

"Perseus Jackson!" The air seemed to rumble menacingly as a punk-dressed demigod stormed (No, pun intended.) her way over to the group. Everyone seemed to recoil as Thalia made her way over to Percy. When she passed by Freya, the recently claimed child of Hecate knew why; Thalia literally smelled like she'd been pelted with rotten eggs.

"What in the name of the gods were you THINKING?!" she bellowed; blue sparks of electricity were crackling across her whole body.

Percy balled his fists and glared daggers at the spawn of Zeus. "I got the flag, Thalia." He shook the silver banner in front of her face. "I saw a chance and I took it!"

"I WAS AT THEIR BASE!" She yelled, "If you hadn't butted in, we could've won!"

"You had too many on you!" Percy retorted.

"Oh, so it's my fault?!"

"I didn't say that!"

"ARGH!" Thalia pushed Percy, unknowingly sending a shock of electricity through the boy's body, sending him flying into a nearby creek. The surrounding campers gasped in shock. Some Hunters giggled as Percy rose from the water, slightly smoking.

"Sorry," Thalia turned pale. "I didn't mean to-"

_SPLASH!_

Freya gaped as Percy doused Thalia with gallons-worth of creek water. A fight was definitely brewing.

"Yeah," Percy growled. "I didn't mean to either."

Both demigods were glaring each other down; both inching towards their weapons.

"Enough!" cried Seria, who threw herself in-between the two. "Both of you stand down. We're all on the same team here."

"Oh, really?" Percy snapped. "Then tell me, how is it that the boundary line was totally annihilated by the Hunters, hm? Wasn't it your job to keep them at bay?"

Seria faltered. "How was I supposed to know that my team would be caught in a trap themselves?! Maybe if we were positioned better-"

"Oh, so now I'm to blame for your team's mistake?" Thalia glared down at Seria. The daughter of Hades was now caught in a corner. "I placed you in charge. It was your decision as to how the distraction was going to be done. If there was something to blame; it'd be your lousy leadership!"

Seria's fists clenched as a whirlwind of shadows pushed both Percy and Thalia into opposite trees. "Well if it weren't for both of your huge egos we might've actually won!"

Thalia drew her spear and Aegis. "Oh, you want some, you undead pest?! How 'bout you, Seaweed brain?!"

Percy drew Riptide. "Bring it on, Pinecone Face!"

"Both of you go to hell!" hissed Seria as she drew her Gorgon blades.

Campers and Hunters alike backed away from the three demigods. They all knew that if all three children of The Big Three faced off, there was going to be catastrophic damage to be done. Freya could only watch in fear as her three friends face off against each other.

Immediately the fight had begun, Thalia yelled at the top of her lungs and raised up her spear. The spear acted as a lightning rod as Thalia called down a bolt of thunder and pointed it at both demigods who were opposing her. Percy and Seria didn't get the chance to defend themselves and both were thrown back a few feet and were left smoking like charred wood.

Freya stepped forward and attempted to put a stop to the fight but someone held her back. Looking next to her, Apollo was the one who prevented Freya from intervening from the fight. He had a serious look on his face that almost scared her; he didn't want her to get involved in such a dangerous situation. Next to her, Freya can see that Cleo almost stepped in herself but was held back but by Chiron. The centaur looked nervous; he had the right to be. This was a fight between the children of The Big Three, who knows what would happen.

Seria was the first to recover from the lightning strike and boy, did she look angry. Her eyes darkened to a menacing black and she raised her palm upward as if calling something up from the ground. Thankfully she didn't decide to raise the dead; instead she manifested everyone's shadows into a giant fist. The shadow-made fist was clenched into a fist and it followed Seria's hand gestures. Instantly, the daughter of Hades threw her fist forward and the shadow followed, slamming right into Thalia. The punk-ish demigod flew a few feet before slamming into an oak tree with a loud _SMACK!_

As she did this, Percy got back up and swung Riptide at Seria. The girl barely had the chance to block it but she was able to with her right sword, seeing as her left was busy with the shadows she had been manipulating. Percy, being a very skilled swordsman, was able to push Seria back; giving him enough space to concentrate and will the entire creek to rise. Gallons upon gallons of creek water swirled up into the air forming into one giant sphere. No doubt it was big enough to swallow Thalia and Seria whole. But if he threw it down, he would also hit everyone nearby. That was when Chiron finally stepped in.

"That is _enough_! Percy!" He sent a pleading look toward the son of Poseidon, but it was ignored. All three were just too angry to listen to the camp director. Then the unthinkable happened.

Percy spotted something from afar and a look of shock overtook his face. The shock was enough for him lose his concentration and all the creek water splashed back into its original place. Both Thalia and Seria were shocked to see Percy back down like that, so they turned to see what had gotten his attention. Immediately, their expressions were exactly like Percy's.

Freya didn't know what had gotten them so...scared. So she turned around herself and what she saw, scared her quite a bit. Something or maybe, someone was approaching but it was enshrouded in murky, green mist that was so thick she couldn't see the camp anymore. As the figure grew closer, most if not all the campers and Hunters gasped.

"This is impossible," Apollo muttered; his eyes were narrowed as if he was angry but he sounded so scared that it terrified Freya. What had gotten the god of the sun so spooked? That was a question Freya couldn't find an answer to.

"She has _never_ left the attic before." muttered Chiron, even he sounded nervous.

And yet stepped forward a withered old mummy-like figure; assuming it was indeed a girl, Freya could see that the green mist was coming straight from the figure's mouth. The mist had turned the white snow a sickly shade of green that almost made Cleo look like she was going to barf any second.

No one dared to move, it was like everyone had been paralyzed just by looking at the mummy-like figure. Then an eerie hiss-like voice echoed in Freya's head. The redhead thought she had just imagined it but she looked at all the campers and noticed some were cringing or covering their ears with their hands. Seria paled to the point where she looked like a corpse that had just risen from the dead; apparently this figure scared her the most.

_'I am the spirit of Delphi,'_ hissed the eerie figure. _'Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.'_

Freya recognized those names; _Delphi_ was an ancient Greek city-state where Apollo's oracle was said to reside. That meant that the mummy-like figure standing before them was none other than _the_ Oracle of Delphi. She knew that Greek myths truly existed in life, Freya herself was living proof of that, but the oracle actually existing? Even she had a hard time believing it.

The Oracle's dead, cold eyes seemed to be glaring right at Percy, then...it glared Apollo (who in turn just scowled at it), before it switched its gaze to none other than Zoë Nightshade. _'Approach Seeker, and ask...'_

Zoë swallowed nervously as she stepped forward, facing the Oracle with shaky confidence. "What must I do to help my goddess?"

The Oracle's mouth opened wider as more green mist billowed out from her mouth. The mist seemed to contort and form an image of a girl dressed in silver, though her clothes were tattered. The girl seemed to be chained to a rock as she held something up, maybe an attacker, but her face was twisted in pain. If this was Artemis, Apollo's twin sister and the Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, then she looked like she was in big trouble.

The Oracle's eerie voiced hissed out:

_Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,_

_One shall be lost in the land without rain._

_Three more shall follow in the dead of night,_

_At the mountain's peak, the snake's lie will be brought to light._

_The Bane of Olympus shows the trail,_

_Campers and Hunters combined prevail._

_The Titan's Curse must one withstand,_

_And one shall perish by a parent's hand._

In a blink of an eye, the green mist that swirled in the air retreated back into the Oracle's mouth as fast as a snake. The Oracle sat down on a nearby rock and stopped moving, as if it would stay there for a hundreds more years.

All around Freya, campers and Hunters began to murmur and panic at what the Oracle had said. Zoë looked like she had just seen someone murder a puppy right in front of her; then again, she did just see her patron goddess in chains and in pain. Looking at Apollo, Freya could see how painful it was for him to witness his sister like that.

"So," Freya said in a loud voice, instantly catching everyone's attention. "_Phoebus_, huh?"

The pained expression on Apollo's face quickly disappeared and turned into that of annoyance. He looked like he was about to yell at Freya but he saw the sympathetic smile on her face; not her usual cocky smirk, but a smile that knew how upset he was. The sun god just smiled, a small one but a smile, and retorted, "So..._Brittany_, huh?"

A few snickers echoed throughout the group but Freya didn't mind. She just playfully frowned at Apollo and lightly punched his arm. "Shaddup, Sunny-D," earning a chuckle from the sun god himself.

Chiron bit back a smile and tried to look serious as he stepped between the children of The Big three, acting as a wall to prevent them from continuing their squabble. "Seeing as all this excitement is now done," he announced. "Everyone return to your cabins, except for the cabin counselors." He had a serious, almost scary, look on his face. "All cabin counselors must report to The Big House for a Council meeting. _Now._"

Never has Freya seen so many campers and Hunters run so fast in her life.


	19. A Decision is Made

**A/U:**_ Sorry for the delay! But here's ch. 18 for all you readers! I don't really have much to say as of the moment, but I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as you enjoyed the others. I'd greatly appreciate it if you leave a review (just a comment really) after you're done reading. Any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated, even some critique would help me improve on my writing. Please and thank you~ :)_

**_DISCLAIMER: _**_I do NOT own the Percy Jackson series nor any of its characters. They all rightfully belong to Rick Riordan, the author of the book series. I only own the OCs (Seria, Cleo, and Freya), the two added verses in the prophecy, and any changes made to the story. This was written only for entertainment purposes. :) ENJOY~_

* * *

**[SERIA]**

If memory served her right, the Council meetings were always held at The Big House...at least, that's where they were held back in the 1940's. Who knew what else had changed in the camp during her seventy year sleep. But nonetheless, Seria had to attend; seeing as she was the _only_ Hades camper in Camp Half-Blood. That alone instantly gave Seria position as cabin counselor, though she did find the responsibilities (like attending meetings) to be tedious and unnecessary.

Pushing back her inner rant, Seria weaved her way out of the crowds of campers that still remained in the forest area and headed towards The Big House. She wasn't alone; following her was Lee Fletcher, cabin counselor of Apollo Cabin. She gave him a quick sideways glance to show that she acknowledged his presence but the blonde gave no response.

"Something on your mind, Lee?" Seria asked, nudging the camper who greeted her during her first arrival in the shoulder. "It isn't healthy to hold thoughts to yourself."

Lee looked up at Seria and just sighed, "I'm still upset over how Capture the Flag ended. It's infuriating, being beaten by those Hunters."

"A loss is a loss. After all it's just a game; a practice match is all that it'll be."

Lee's expression soured at Seria's choice of words. "Listen, I don't know what Capture the Flag against the Hunters of Artemis is like for you. But for us Apollo kids, it's a chance to prove to them that the Apollo Cabin can easily match, or better yet, _overpower_ their skills. So it's a pretty big deal for me and the others."

"Oh...right," Seria frowned. "Sorry."

Lee said nothing but he quickened his pace, leaving Seria to her own thoughts.

* * *

As Seria entered the Big House, she was thankful that the location of the council meeting didn't change. Though Seria couldn't say the same thing about the room. The meeting room now called "the rec. room" was an odd place filled with various objects and devices that Seria hadn't learned about yet from the Stoll Brothers and instead of a regular table, the meeting was held around a Ping-Pong table. That, Seria knew as a table where people played a miniature version of tennis. Other cabin counselors took their seats and finally, the meeting began.

Dionysus waved his hand and supplied snacks for everyone: Cheez Whiz (something that confused Seria further), crackers, and several bottles of red wine. The group of counselors could only stare owlishly at the bottles of expensive wine, knowing full-well that they were underage. Thankfully Apollo reminded Mr. D of that fact and of the wine god's drinking restriction. With a sigh, Mr. D snapped his fingers and replaced the wine to Diet Coke. Nobody touched those either.

Thankfully Seria found herself sitting next to the Stoll brothers, who in return sent her a pair of matching grins. After her little spat with Thalia and Percy, their friendship and mutual respect dwindled down to the same type of relationship that their respective fathers share. Thus, leaving Seria's closest friend in the rec. room to be the two brothers.

Zoё started off the meeting with a light greeting. "This is pointless."

"Cheez Whiz!" gasped Grover. The satyr began to scoop up the wild array of crackers and Ping-Pong balls and began to spray them with an odd orange substance that made Seria's stomach turn.

"Is...is that even edible?" She asked, eyeing the cans of Cheez Whiz with disgust.

The Stoll brothers just looked at each other and laughed, leaving Seria's question unanswered. It seemed that was occurring often today.

Zoё rolled her eyes at the little display and turned to Chiron with a hard look on her face. "There is no time for talk," she stated. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."

"And go where?" Chiron asked.

"West!" Bianca yelled out; catching everyone's attention. "You heard the prophecy! '_Five shall go west to the goddess in chains.' _We can get five Hunters and go."

Seria quirked an eyebrow as Bianca spoke out. It was amazing what joining the Hunters of Artemis had done to the girl. Though Seria still detests her choice of joining the Hunters over her own brother, she was impressed with Bianca's sudden gain in confidence. Even her sudden change of appearance surprised her. Bianca's dark hair was no-longer wild and unkempt, instead it was now braided so now her face could be seen more clearly. Bianca even had an odd glow to her, like all the other Hunters did. It must've been something that came with joining their group.

"Yes," Zoё agreed. "Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her!"

"As much as I'd like the thought of my little sister being rescued immediately," Apollo stretched his legs onto the table, despite Mr. D's grumbling. "You missed a teensy little detail in _my_ prophecy. _'Campers and Hunters combined prevail.'_ You Hunters have to work together with the Campers, whether you like it or not."

Zoё didn't like the sound of that. "No! The Hunters do not need thy help!"

"_Your_," Thalia grumbled. It was clear as day that Zoë's attitude was getting to her. "Nobody has said _thy_ in, like, three hundred years, Zoё. Get with the times."

The huntress hesitated as she tried to form the words correctly. "_Yerrr. _We do not need _yerrr_ help."

The Stoll brothers snickered as Zoё attempted to form and pronounce the word correctly, silently mocking her by adding a pirate accent to their interpretations. Even Lee bit back a smile as he tried to look professional, but it was obvious.

Thalia rolled her eyes, knowing very well that Zoё was a lost cause. "Forget it."

"I fear the prophecy says you _do_ need our help," Chiron said. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."

"Or do they?" All eyes turned to Mr. D, who was swirling his Diet Coke under his nose as if it was wine itself. "_One shall be lost. One shall perish_. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail _because_ you tried to cooperate?"

At the thought, a slight chill fell upon the cabin counselors. Mr. D had a point. The prophecy stated some obvious losses. What if they were caused because of their attempt of cooperation? What if their partnership will cause the quest's failure? It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Hunters and Campers had a rough relationship. If they couldn't find a way to work together, then it could compromise the quest.

Apollo raised a suspicious brow at Mr. D's notion. "Hey, little bro," he called. "Just whose side are you on, here? Remember this is _my sister's safety_ that's on the line here."

Dionysus raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, Apollo... I was just trying to be helpful."

"Speaking of _'being helpful'_," Seria took this as a chance to get her question through. "Apollo, why can't you just explain to us what the prophecy means? I mean, you're the God of Prophecies for Pete's sake. Why can't you just lend us a little clue?"

The blue-eyed deity sighed, as if he was expecting that question to be asked. "Listen, Seria, I'd like to explain it to you guys... really, I would! But, it...it just doesn't work that way."

_'Great, more cryptic answers...so much for that plan.'_ Seria thought bitterly; slumping down into her seat.

"We're supposed to work together," Thalia said stubbornly. "I don't like it either Zoё, but you know prophecies. You want to fight against one too?" Though her words were meant for the huntress, Thalia's eyes were also locked onto Seria; who in turn just averted her gaze.

Zoё grimaced; Thalia earned a point there.

"We must not delay," Chiron warned. "Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice."

"Oh joy," Dionysus muttered. "Another dull annual meeting."

Apollo glared darkly at Mr. D; he disliked how laid back the wine god was about the matter at hand. Truthfully, the sun god would've acted the same way in any other quest but this was his _sister_ in peril here. This wasn't exactly the time to joke around.

"Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoё said. "She has been one of the most vocal on the council, arguing for action against Kronos' minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations!"

_'So things really are brewing into a war,'_ Seria thought as she listened intently to Zoё's argument.

Mr. D looked at Zoё with an unreadable expression on his face. "Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?"

Usually any sane demigod would deny the statement, but Zoё met the god's gaze and answered without hesitation. "Yes, Lord Dionysus."

Mr. D, much to the surprise of everyone (save for Apollo) in the council, nodded. "Just checking. You're right of course. Carry on." Even Apollo had no denial about Zoё's statement.

Chiron sighed, "I must agree with Zoё. Artemis' presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her and possible even more important: locate the monster that she was hunting. Now," the camp director calmly folded his hands over his blanket-covered lap. "We must decide who goes on this quest."

"Three and two."

Everyone's attention was drawn to Percy, who had finally spoken up during the meeting. Even Seria and Thalia noticed him, despite the fact that they were trying to ignore his presence for a long time.

The son of Poseidon fidgeted under everyone's gaze but still managed to explain what he had said. "We're supposed to have five," he mumbled. "Three Hunters, two from Camp Half-Blood. That's more than fair."

Thalia and Zoё exchanged looks as they contemplated Percy's idea.

"Well," Thalia started. "It...it does make sense."

"I would prefer to take _all_ of the Hunters. We will need strength of numbers." grunted the huntress.

"You'll be retracing her steps," Apollo reminded her with an annoyed tone in his voice. Glad to see even Zoё got on the sun god's nerves. "And you'll have to move quickly. No doubt, my sister had already tracked the scent of this _'rare monster'_ as she moved west. You'll have to do the same. My prophecy was clear as a sunny sky: _'The bane of Olympus shows the trail.'_"

_'Clear as a sunny sky?'_ Seria snorted at the thought. Apollo's prophecies were as cryptic as a riddle. If he thought his prophecies were clear then somebody obviously needed to smack the god.

"What would your mistress say?" said Chiron. "_'Too many Hunters spoil the scent.'_ A small group is best."

Zoë had an unreadable expression on her face as she picked up a Ping-Pong paddle from the table, studying it as if she was deciding whether or not to smack someone in the room with it. "This monster," she muttered; her eyes narrowed as she spoke. "The Bane of Olympus. I have hunted by Lady Artemis' side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."

Seria frowned; as much as she hated to admit it, Zoё had a point there. Even during her time back in the 1940's, Seria had never heard of a monster called _"The Bane of Olympus"_. For a monster to receive such a title, it must've done some damage to Olympus a long time ago.

Everyone in the council looked at Dionysus expectantly. He was a god; no doubt he must've had some idea to what the monster could be. But the cherub-like god was flipping through a wine magazine, completely blocking out the whole discussion. When he sensed that all eyes were on him, he glanced up. "Well, don't look at me. I'm a _young_ god, remember? I don't keep track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. They make for terrible party conversation."

Everyone's gazes were switched to Apollo; who just shrugged. "Sorry, I don't really know what monster we're talking about here."

Overall, none of the two gods present knew anything about a _"Bane of Olympus"_. Everything was drawn right back to square one.

"Chiron," Seria said. "You don't have any ideas about the monster? Maybe a hint about what it really is?"

The centaur pursed his lips. "I have several ideas, none of them good. And some don't even make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit the description. He truly was a bane of Olympus. Or maybe the sea monster Keto. But if either of the two were stirring, we would know it. They're ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers."

"So my father would've alerted Olympus then," Percy sighed; running a hand down his face in irritation. The meeting was getting nowhere pretty quickly.

Chiron nodded in agreement. "Correct. I fear this monster may be more elusive. Perhaps, even more powerful."

"That's some serious danger _you're_ facing," Conner Stoll commented; stretching his arms behind his head. Seria sent him an incredulous look for his comment; him stating that it was the group's problem alone was very irresponsible.

Travis nodded his head as he munched on the remaining crackers that Grover hadn't eaten yet. "Yeah, it sounds like at least two of the five, maybe eight, are gonna die."

"_'One shall be lost in the land without rain,'_" Beckendorf repeated the line of the prophecy with a grim frown chiseled onto his face. "If I were you, I'd stay out of the desert."

Everyone muttered in agreement.

"And _the Titan's curse must one withstand,_" Silena said. "What could that mean?"

From the corner of her eye, Seria could see Chiron and Zoё exchange a nervous look. Whatever they were thinking, they chose not to share it with the council; furthering Seria's suspicions about the two.

"_One shall perish by a parent's hand_," Grover repeated the final verse of the prophecy in between bites of Cheez Whiz and Ping-Pong balls. (Seriously, how could Grover eat that trash? Seria often wondered.) "How is that even possible? I mean, whose parent would kill them?"

A heavy silence fell upon the table.

The final verse made Seria's heart beat uneasily. Glancing across the table, the daughter of Hades looked at Percy and Thalia and wondered if they were thinking the same thing she was. Though Chiron never truly told her of it in person, the centaur had received a prophecy about the next child of The Big Three - Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades- who'd turn sixteen. That child would have to make a decision that would either destroy or save the gods of Olympus. The prophecy had caused the three brothers to take an oath after World War II to not have any more kids. But even with that oath in effect, Percy, Thalia, and Seria were still born; all three getting eerily close to the age of sixteen.

Seria clenched her hands into fists as the fear began to settle into her. Would her father really kill her once she turned sixteen? Looking at the facts, she should've died seventy years ago. Heck, she was already dead until Luke decided to throw the Golden Fleece around her statued form and bring her back. It would only make sense that her father would eventually send Thanatos after her and correct her untimely revival.

_'If I do end up dying this year, then who'd be the demigod of the prophecy?'_ Seria eyed the other two Big Three spawns that sat across from her. She had a feeling that it could be Thalia, seeing as both she and the lightning demigod were the same age.

"There will be deaths," Chiron admitted; breaking Seria's train of thought. "That much we know."

"Oh goody!"

Everyone jumped at the cheer and looked at Dionysus in shock. The wine god could only glance up innocently from the pages of his _Wine Connoisseur _magazine. "Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. Don't mind me."

"Aaanyway," Lee said. "Two campers definitely should go."

"Oh, I see," Zoё said sarcastically. "And I suppose you wish to volunteer?"

Lee glared at Zoё, his hand just itching to grab his bow and arrow. "I'm not going anywhere with you Hunters."

Silena crossed her arms, "Neither will I! So don't look at me."

"A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at and a son of Apollo not wishing to test his skills of archery," Zoё scoffed. "What would thy parents say?"

Apollo glared daggers at the huntress, "I'm warning you little lady. You better watch that tongue of yours. Just because you're my sis's favorite doesn't mean I won't punish you for talking smack about my kids."

Zoё could only roll her eyes; angering Apollo further. In fact both Apollo and Silena were about to jump out of their chairs at her, only the Stoll brothers and Mr. D were able to hold them back.

"Stop it," Beckendorf stood from his chair; raising his hands up in a "calm-down" motion. Beckendorf was a pretty big guy with a voice to match. He didn't talk much but when he did, people tend to listen. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?"

Zoё obviously stood first. "I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker."

"The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" Travis asked cautiously.

Zoё nodded.

"You mean the one who put the arrows in my helmet?" Conner added.

"Yes, yes," Zoё snapped. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," Travis said. "Just that we have a T-shirt for her from the camp store." He held up a big silver T-shirt that said in bold letters: _**ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2002**_. Underneath that was a huge list of national parks and all sorts of writing that followed.

"It's a collector's item. She was admiring it," Conner stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "You want to give it to her?"

Judging by the looks on their faces, Seria can easily guess that they were up to something. She knew them well-enough to be aware that they always had some sort of mischievous prank up their sleeves. But Zoё didn't know them as well as Seria (and pretty much most of Camp Half-Blood) did. The huntress just sighed and took the shirt from them.

"As I was saying, I will take Phoebe. I also wish Bianca to go."

Bianca looked stunned. "Me? But...but I'm so new. I wouldn't be any good."

"You will do fine," Zoё insisted. "There is no better way to prove thyself."

Bianca closed her mouth and fell silent. Seria almost pitied her; she understood what it's like to be nervous about your first quest, every camper has no doubt felt it at least once in their life. To receive a quest for the first time sends your emotions wild; you'd feel honored, at the same time scared and resentful as to why the gods chose you of all people. But eventually you'd feel content with the fact that you had been chosen.

"And for campers?" Chiron looked at each and every cabin counselor that was present for the meeting but his gaze lingered on Percy.

"Me!" Grover immediately stood up from his place, bumping the Ping-Pong table as he went; brushing off cracker crumbs and Ping-Pong ball scraps off his lap. "Anything to help Artemis!"

Zoё wrinkled her nose. "I think not, satyr. You are not even a half-blood."

"But he is a camper," Thalia defended Grover. "And he's got satyr's senses and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"

"Absolutely!"

Zoё hesitated for a second. Whatever a tracker song was, apparently it was important enough to make Zoё think about her decision instead of shooting off her mouth like she always did.

"Very well," Zoё sighed. "And the second camper?"

"I'll go," Thalia stood from her place and looked around, daring anyone to question her decision.

It was then did Seria realize that the five had already been chosen, and she wasn't alone. Across from her a look of surprise flashed across Percy's face; apparently he'd planned on going as well.

"Whoa, wait a sec," Percy stood from his chair; looking quite frazzled over what had just happened. "I want to go too."

"As do I!" Seria rose from her seat. Her sudden voice startled a few of the counselors but she ignored them. She had to go on this quest; Luke was in danger and she _had_ to save him, even if her life depended on it.

Thalia said nothing but she cast a scrutinizing look at Seria, who in turn matched her gaze with high intensity. Chiron, however, looked at both demigods with curiosity.

"Oh," Grover said, suddenly aware of the problem. "Whoa, yeah; I forgot! Percy has to go. I mean... I'll stay. Percy should go in my place."

"Why just Percy?" Seria pushed on, her eyes staring at the son of Poseidon. "Why does he need to go on this quest so bad?!"

"I could ask you the same thing, Amagi." Percy retorted.

"Enough!" Zoё silenced Percy and Seria's squabble immediately. "He cannot. He is a boy. I won't have Hunters traveling with a boy."

Percy's face turned red as he continued to argue with Zoё, only to be continuously shot down with every attempt.

Seria bit back a triumphant smirk; Zoё said nothing about her. She may have a chance still.

"Seria shouldn't attend either." Thalia spoke up, her gaze still locked onto the daughter of Hades. "She's a child of Hades. Children of Hades tend to act like monster magnets. It's best that she stays behind."

"Monster magnets?!" Seria was offended at the notion. "Children of The Big Three are _"monster magnets"_ on their own! Who knows what kind of trouble you'd bring on the quest, Grace!"

Chiron sighed, raising his hand to silence the argument before it could get worse. "The quest is for Artemis. Percy, I'm sorry...but the Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions."

Percy's face turned a deep shade of red as he slumped back down into his seat.

"Now Seria," the camp director turned to the dark-haired demigod. "Why do _you_ want to go on this quest?"

Seria fell silent. She couldn't tell them about Luke or about their recent communications. That would only end up with her getting thrown out of camp or declared an enemy of Olympus. "It's...it's a personal matter," the lie tasted bitter as it left her mouth. "That's all I have to say."

Apollo looked at Seria with confusion; the look alone asked her, _'What are you talking about?'_ But the girl refused to meet his gaze.

Chiron sighed, "I'm sorry. But personal matters shouldn't get in the way of this quest. Seria, I'm afraid you will also have to stand down."

"What about that third verse?" Seria stayed persistent. "_Three more shall follow in the dead of night._ Even if you chose the five that would go, three more will end up joining anyway."

"Then I'll just tighten up security," Mr. D said. "No one's sneaking out of this camp tonight. I'll make sure the furies are notified of this."

Defeated, Seria reluctantly sat back down; ignoring the apologetic looks that the Stoll brothers and Lee kept shooting her. She just sat in her seat, frustrated at what had transpired, as Chiron concluded the council.

"So be it," he said. "Thalia and Grover will accompany Zoё, Bianca, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods," he shot a glance at Dionysus and Apollo, "present company included, we hope...be with you."

* * *

After dinner, Seria couldn't help but feel even more frustrated about how the council meeting ended. Thalia just had to open her mouth and comment about her; knowing very well that the real _"monster magnet"_ was also herself as well, not just Seria or Percy.

_'I need to clear my head,'_ Seria groaned; pinching the bridge of her nose to get rid of her oncoming headache. _'There's no way I could get some sleep with this migraine.'_

Carefully sneaking out of the Dining Pavilion, Seria shadow-traveled to her usual spot outside the borders of Camp Half-Blood. The familiar sound of half-frozen grass crunching underneath her boots quickly calmed Seria's nerves, along with the fresh smell of winter in the air.

Seria leaned against one of the oak trees nearby and looked out unto the bright lights of New York City. Christmas was coming soon so the city bustled with noise and bright lights. People walked down its streets, no doubt rushing to find Christmas presents and decorations for the coming holiday. It almost made Seria feel... jealous.

"I guess there's some truth when people say there's bliss in naivety." Seria sighed.

"I guess so. But I say it's better to know things instead of being unaware of the dangers, right?"

The sudden voice startled the smoky-eyed demigod. Quickly, Seria whipped around to face the speaker only to meet the gaze of a slightly startled Nico di Angelo.

"Oh," Seria let out a sigh of relief. "It's just you. Goodness, what's with people and sneaking up behind me these days? Can't you just say "Hello" like a normal person instead of giving me a heart-attack?"

Nico chuckled; slowly walking up to the older demigod and stared out to the city of New York. "Wow, the city looks so beautiful at night."

"I know right?" Seria giggled, ruffling Nico's messy mop of hair. "What are you doing up, Nico? You should be in bed in the Hermes Cabin right now."

"And you should be doing the same in yours," retorted the young boy.

"Touché."

The two dark-haired children laughed at their silliness. Both of them were risking getting caught by Mr. D's _"heightened security"_ but they didn't care. The calm winter night was nice to be awake for; they both knew that.

"Hey Seria," Nico mumbled. The boy was sitting Indian-style on the snowy ground, not caring that his pants would get soaked in the end. "I heard what happened at the council meeting."

"Let me guess," Seria looked down at him. "The Stoll Brother's told you?"

Nico nodded his head. "Yeah, I know Bianca's going with them on the quest."

"Are you worried about her?"

"N-no!" Seria shot Nico a look. "Y-yes...a bit."

"That's normal," she sighed. "I mean, she _is_ your sister after all. Of course you'd be worried about her going on a quest like that. To be honest, I would've preferred that she'd stay behind... I mean, she is still new to the Hunters of Artemis."

The half-Italian looked down at his legs; no doubt thinking about what might happen to his sister during the quest. The prophecy was pretty menacing as it stated some obvious losses. "I also heard...that you and Percy got into a fight during the meeting."

Seria swallowed hard at the memory. "Yeah, and?"

"You really wanted to go on that quest, didn't you? I mean, Percy wanted to go to save Annabeth, but you..." Nico drifted off, not knowing how he should word what he was going to say next. "Why did you want to join?"

The daughter of Hades released a heavy sigh as she argued with herself on whether or not she should tell Nico the truth. Nico didn't really know about the camp's problem with Luke, so Seria deemed it safe to at least tell the truth to one person in camp. "I'll tell you, _if_ you promise _not_ to tell _ANYONE_ in camp. Understood?"

Nico did a mock salute, "Yes ma'am!"

Giggling at his childishness, Seria laid her head against a tree. "I wanted to join the quest because a friend of mine is also in danger. It's sort of like the same way with Percy wanting to save Annabeth but... I had some sort of vision about my friend in pain." Her smoky-eyes narrowed at the memory of her dream. "He was being pinned down by something and was talking to a tall man. He was in pain and I need to save him...since...s-since he's done so much for me already."

Nico looked at Seria with a slight bit of sadness in his eyes. "You must really care for him."

"I do," whispered Seria. "I really do, but it's no use. Zoё already picked who she wanted to join her on the quest. There's no use arguing with her about it."

At the mentioning of the copper-skinned Hunter, Nico raised his head and looked at Seria. "Speaking of Zoё, did...um, do you guys know each other?"

"Yes we do," Seria confirmed. "We met a long time ago. When I was still young, I received a simple quest to retrieve an item that Apollo had lost during one of his rounds across the sky. Along the way I ran into Artemis and her Hunters, that's when I met Zoё."

"What was she like back then?" Nico asked, "Was she any different than how she acts now?"

Seria shook her head, "No. She was exactly the same as she is now. But I guess she was nicer to me. Artemis allowed me to rest with them for a while, eventually _"a while"_ lead to Zoё offering me to join the Hunters."

"She offered you to join?!" Nico's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Sh!" Seria quieted Nico down before continuing her tale. "Of course, I turned her down. I had friends back at Camp Half-Blood. The campers and Chiron became a family to me, so I couldn't possibly think of leaving them just for immortality. I guess, it was then did Zoё begin to treat me the same way she treats boys in general."

Nico nodded his head; slowly taking in the information that Seria had just given him. "But you guys were friends right?"

"I guess."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't accept her offer!" Nico said, "If you did, then I wouldn't have met you."

"Aw," Seria hugged Nico tight. "You're sweet, Nico. I'm glad I met you too."

The younger boy relished Seria's hug a little longer before speaking up again. "I...I actually came here to talk to you about the prophecy."

"Oh?" Seria pulled away; suddenly interested in what Nico had to say. "Go on."

"I...I think you're one of the three who'll sneak out to join them." He averted his eyes away from Seria. "I mean, this friend of yours, he sounds like he's in real trouble. So I think you should just go follow them. I can come up with an excuse for Mr. D and the others about where you'd run off to."

An amused smirk stretched across Seria's lips. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were claimed to be a child of Hermes, Nico. Lying to the camp directors? Tsk, tsk. Very risky."

Nico laughed, lightly pushing Seria's shoulder.

"But that's not all, is it?" Seria looked down at Nico with an all-knowing expression on her face. "Why are you telling me to follow the group? Tell the truth, Nico."

Nico sighed, "Busted." He grinned up at Seria. "I want you to follow them so that you could also keep an eye out for my sister. I mean, y-you're pretty good at fighting so I think that you're more than capable of making sure that she's safe."

"You want _me_ to keep Bianca safe?" Seria looked at Nico warily. "Nico, quests like these are very dangerous. You really can't prevent someone from getting hurt."

"Please?" Nico held onto Seria's arm. "I'd be able to rest easier knowing that you're there for Bianca. Please?"

Nico's dark brown eyes were wide; mimicking an almost perfect puppy-dog look. Seria really didn't stand a chance.

"Alright, alright," Seria pushed Nico off of her. "I'll follow the others and try to keep Bianca safe. But I really can't promise anything, Nico."

The young boy lunged at Seria, tackling her into a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Okay, okay! That's enough hugging for the night!" Seria pried Nico off of her and stood back up, brushing off snow from her clothes. "Now, you better head on off to bed right now, mister. Before I decide to change my mind."

Nico smiled up at Seria and gave her one last hug. "You're the best!" Then he was gone.

A warm feeling of contentment built up in Seria's chest. She never had a younger brother before, so she assumed this was as close as she could get to having one. Nico was definitely a sweet kid, Seria could only hope that he remains that way for a long time.

_'"Three more shall follow in the dead of night." I wonder who should I bring with me.'_ Seria walked back to her cabin with the question plaguing her mind. _'No doubt Percy's already one-step ahead of me. I bet as I'm thinking, he's already packing his things to follow them. So that would already total two. For the third... I guess I could ask Freya. She's dependable... sort of.'_

Just as she reached the door to Hades Cabin another question popped into her head. The fourth verse: _At the mountain's peak, will the snake's lie be brought to light._ The line was just as menacing as the ones that came after it. It confirmed that the quest would also take place at a mountain's peak. Which one, Seria didn't know yet. But definitely some lie was involved.

_'But who's the "snake"?'_


	20. Beauty and The Freaks

_A/U: Sorry that this took so long. I found myself sort of stuck in a rut with writing [or Writer's Block, as some of you call it] and had a hard time getting back into the story. But no worries, after watching Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief I'm back in action with renewed vigor. So let's cut the chit-chat and get on with the story, ay? Oh and, if you can, leave some feedback when you're done reading. Feedback is really helpful and it actually motivates me a bit. :)_

**DISCLAIMER: **_I do **NOT** own the Percy Jackson series nor any of its characters. They all rightfully belong to Rick Riordan, the series' author. I only own Seria, Cleo, Freya, and other OCs that make appearances in the story. :)_

* * *

**[Cleo's POV]**

The last thing Cleo wanted on her mind before she went to sleep was Percy Jackson. She didn't even want to _think_ about the son of Poseidon for a long, _long_ time. Heck, she wished that he wasn't such a frequent face in camp but obviously that would never happen.

Despite how much she didn't want the sea green-eyed boy to appear in her thoughts; his face continued to appear every time she closed her eyes. Each flash of his face always lead to Cleo jolting back up with a red face and twice as annoyed as she was before. This has never happened to her before, _ever._ Usually boys weren't much of a big deal to Cleo; she always made a habit of playing around with their feelings just for amusement. Yet here she was, sprawled out on her bed; flushed and embarrassed over what had become of her.

_'I bet mom's laughing up a storm in Olympus,'_ hissed Cleo. She let out an aggravated yell; startling most of the other Aphrodite campers in the process.

"Cleo?"

The blonde beauty opened one eye and looked up to see Silena Beauregard looking down at her with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" she asked; sitting down at the side of Cleo's bunk bed.

"No, I'm not okay! Do I look okay to you?" Cleo didn't mean to snap, but now really wasn't the time for obvious questions.

Cleo's sudden burst of anger didn't even faze Silena. Instead, the cabin counselor for Aphrodite cabin just looked at Cleo with understanding. "Is it a boy?"

Right on the marker, "No!"

"It's Percy isn't it?"

Cleo stayed silent, attempting to glare angrily at her half-sister (seeing as they share Aphrodite as their mother).

Silena grinned in triumph. "I knew I was right. Now, why don't you tell me what's on your mind? Maybe then you'd be able to rest easier and allow everyone else to have some peace and quiet."

Cleo wasn't sure if Silena was just joking around with her or insulting her, but she silently agreed to her offer. Maybe having someone to talk about it, other than Freya and Seria (who don't really understand feelings that well), would help clear her find. "How should I explain it?"

"Maybe, just start from the beginning."

With a nod, Cleo explained to Silena about her thoughts about Percy recently. She told the blue-eyed girl about her fight with the son of Poseidon; how she managed to slip up with her words and managed to anger her friend. As she went on, Silena made no comment; she only nodded her head once in a while to signal Cleo that she was still listening. The conversation eventually drew the attention of the other Aphrodite campers. It wasn't everyday that Cleo would open up her heart and talk about her feelings, so a crowd began to form around the blonde girl's bed.

"So, let me get this straight," Silena said. "You managed to insult Percy by telling him that losing Annabeth was no big deal."

Cleo nodded.

"And that fight in front of the Big House was the result of said conversation?"

Another nod.

"And now, you've been feeling guilty about what you'd just said to him. But since he's been avoiding you, you can't really find a way to apologize?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Cleo cried; slamming her body back down onto the mattress of her bed.

Silena and the other Aphrodite kids looked at Cleo with a mix of pity and sympathy.

"Well, I think you should just suck it up and apologize to him already," yelled one of the male Aphrodite kids from the top of his bunk. "I mean, quit feeling so sorry for yourself. I really don't think Percy is the type of guy to hold a grudge. I bet he's just waiting for you to apologize."

His idea resulted in a lot of boo's and discouragement from the girls in the cabin.

"And why should Cleo apologize?" A brunette Aphrodite girl who was wearing way too much make-up stood up from the floor. Cleo didn't know her name but no doubt she'll never forget the girl's face. She was pretty but her beauty was totally concealed with layers upon layers of make-up. "I mean, it was Percy's fault for drenching our precious Cleo here! I think he should apologize! I mean, he totally ruined her clothes!"

The boy rolled his eyes; mumbling something along the lines of, "Stupid, Barbie-wannabe."

With a sigh, Cleo looked down at her bed's blanket; twisting the cloth nervously in her hands. "I think he's right."

The cabin fell silent as all eyes went to Cleo. Some looked shocked, some looked disappointed at the fact Cleo agreed to the boy's "_lame_" idea.

"It was my fault that Percy and I are fighting," Cleo admitted. "I said something mean about Annabeth and not the normal kind of mean...but the unforgiveable, insensitive kind. I was always jealous of her... jealous about how close she was to Percy. And I took it out on him when he was at his most vulnerable state."

Silena looked at Cleo with a smile.

"I...I should be the one to apologize to him." Cleo mumbled; a sense of determination coming over her. "In fact, I'm going to apologize to him right now."

The cabin erupted into a flurry of cheers and wolf-whistles as Cleo made her way to the door. Before she could leave, a hand held her back. Turning around, Cleo was face-to-face with Silena who was smiling down at her.

"Go get him, Cleo. We're all rooting for you."

Cleo looked at everyone in Aphrodite cabin and smiled. Never did she think that she'd end up getting so attached to the Aphrodite campers. She had found a family; a second family, that she could rely on.

"Thanks." Then she was out the door.

* * *

Camp Half-Blood at night was certainly a sight to behold. If you managed to maneuver your way out of the harpies' usual patrol route, you'd be able to see the beauty that surrounds the camp. Tree nymphs, or dryads, that were still awake would just lounge about near the forest; watching the full moon shine in the night sky amongst the countless stars. In the lake, naiads would play in the water or continue weaving their baskets as always. It seemed at night, the mythological creatures would just relax and enjoy the calm, peaceful scenery; which is rare to find in the life of a demigod.

Cleo managed to enjoy the scenery herself once she managed to hide from the furies. The last thing Cleo needed was an ugly bird-lady and her pals chasing her around camp. At first, Cleo went to check Poseidon cabin for Percy but the building had no signs of its sole resident. So the only area left for her to check was the beach.

Fireworks Beach, as everyone has named it so, wasn't that far from the cabins; it was only past the Mess Hall and looked out unto the Long Island Sound. Cleo remembered seeing the fireworks display at the beach last year during the Fourth of July with Percy and the others; though that was a story to tell some other time.

Arriving at the beach, Cleo already spotted Percy from a distance. The son of Poseidon had just landed from what she assumed was a late-night pegasi ride. Only the pegusus that Percy was riding wasn't white like all the others, it was a black pegusus that almost seemed invisible in the night if it weren't for the shine of the moon.

Cleo approached the two and smiled; raising her hand and called out, "Perc-"

_SPLASH!_

A wave of water slammed right into Cleo; sending her sprawled on her back and soaking wet...again. The daughter of Aphrodite was speechless. Percy Jackson had just dowsed her with a wave to the face. An uncontrollable pit of rage grew inside her; to think, she was going to apologize to him!

Though a tad bit muted because of the water in her ears, Cleo could hear the sound of rapid footsteps approaching her along with a muffled, irritated voice.

Percy looked down at Cleo with a worried expression and quickly went to work on helping her get back up and drying her off.

"Oh gods, Cleo...I am _so _sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"What in the world did you think you were doing?!" Cleo screeched, silencing the boy in front of her. "I mean, why did you hit me with a _wave_?! Did I really piss you off _that _much?!"

Percy looked frantic; it almost made Cleo want to laugh. "No, no! I didn't mean to do it on purpose!"

"Oh?" Cleo sneered. "Then do share why you did it then? Hm?"

The boy stammered as he tried to find the right words, but Cleo's patience was wearing thin.

"Out with it!" she yelled.

"Blackjack told me someone was sneaking up behind me!" He pointed at the black pegusus that stood behind him, "I thought he meant like someone was going to attack me. I didn't think it was actually you just trying to talk to me!"

Turquoise eyes flashed to a threatening maroon. "The _pegusus_ told you." Cleo repeated.

"Y-yes..."

"It spoke?"

A nervous nod.

She tried to contain her anger, she really did, but this was too much for Cleo. Her glare made the supposed ex-Lightning Thief flinch and he knew that he was in for it.

"DO YOU REALLY EXPECT _ME_ TO BELIEVE THAT?!" She jabbed Percy's chest with a finger. "HONESTLY, WHAT YOU DID IS SO CHILDISH! WHY LIE WHEN YOU OBVIOUSLY DISLIKE ME ENOUGH TO DO WHAT YOU JUST DID?!"

"Cleo, please, believe me," Percy begged but it fell upon deaf ears.

"_BELIEVE YOU_?! YOU WANT ME TO BELIEVE YOU?! HA!" Cleo laughed sarcastically, "NOT IN YOUR LIFE, FISH-BOY! TO THINK, I WAS GOING TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A JERK, JACKSON!" The child of Aphrodite huffed and stormed off; returning to the solace of her cabin.

"W-wait! Cleo!" Percy tried to run after her but was stopped by Cleo's raised hand.

"Oh and FYI, Jackson," she said in a sickenly sweet voice. "PEGUSI DON'T SPEAK!" Then she was gone, leaving Percy in the dust.

Never in her life had Cleo felt so furious before. Sure, there was that one time that she and Seria had fought during their first meeting but at least she was able to forgive Seria for what had happened. This time, it was _not_ going to happen anytime soon. Percy had crossed the line. Cleo didn't want to see the boy's face for a long time, maybe even never see it ever again; that sounded more pleasing to Cleo's ears.

In her angry storm, Cleo managed to pass the harpies without even being noticed and dashed right through the cabins. But as she passed Hades Cabin, she managed to catch the low murmurs of its two residents. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, Cleo quietly approached the door and pressed her ear against it. She managed to overhear the conversation between her two friends.

"I'm telling you Seria," it was Freya's voice. "Everyone's scared of me."

Seria's more airy voice piped up though it was barely even hearable but Cleo managed to hear what she said. "You're being overdramatic, Freya. Not _everyone_ is scared of you."

"I burnt your hand."

"I know," Seria sighed. "But you were angry. It's common for a demigod to lose control of their abilities when they get riled up. It's happened to me countless times."

Cleo can hear Freya sigh; never had she heard her best friend sound so...defeated.

"What about Apollo?" Seria asked. "I'm sure he's okay with everything."

"No, you should've seen his face." Freya groaned. A loud bang could be heard from inside; Cleo could only assume that Freya had decided to slam her head on her bedpost in frustration. "He's scared of me too. I can't blame him really...I mean, have you seen Hecate's children and their history?!"

Seria sighed, "Yes, I've read about Circe and Medea, Freya. But you're not like them. You're not evil or vengeful like they are, so don't even think about categorizing yourself with the likes of them."

Cleo frantically nodded; even though Freya couldn't see her from behind the cabin's door. _'Yeah, Freya! You're so much better than Circe and Medea! You're prettier than them too...if that counts.'_

"By the way," Seria's voice had a slight teasing tone to it. "Why are you so frazzled about what Apollo thinks of you now? Usually you wouldn't mind things like that." She had a point there.

The sound of someone coughing on something made Cleo smile; no doubt Freya was caught off guard by the notion. "Excuse me?!"

"I'm asking," Seria chuckled, "do you have a _thing_ for Apollo?"

"W-what?! N-no! No way!"

There was silence for a few seconds. Cleo smiled to herself; she pictured Seria giving Freya "_The Look_" right about now in order to get the red-head to tell the truth.

"O-okay, maybe a little."

Cleo managed to hide a squeal of triumph when Freya had finally admitted to her feelings. Honestly it was about time Freya admitted her feelings for Apollo. Cleo was extremely close to slapping her friend silly after having to deal with so much of their sexual tension during confrontations.

"Ha-ha, about time you said that." Seria cooed.

"Oh shut up, Amagi!" yelled Freya. "Now, can we please talk about this escape plan that you have?"

_'Escape plan?'_ That caught Cleo's interest. _'Why would they need an escape plan?'_

"Well, I was thinking that we should leave tonight," Seria said. "I suspect Percy is already leaving camp as we speak to pursue the others on the quest. It's only reasonable to do the same."

"But what about Cleo?" Freya asked. "We can't just leave her behind."

Seria sighed. "Sadly we're going to have to do just that. C'mon, let's pack up."

_'They're going to leave the camp for the quest with Percy?'_ Cleo was shocked. _'And they're going to leave ME behind?'_

Cleo straightened up, raised her left leg and slammed it into the cabin door. The door busted open by the force of Cleo's kick, startling it's two occupants.

The already angry daughter of Aphrodite stormed in and glared at her two friends. "What'd you mean you're going to leave me behind?!"

"Cleo!" Freya gasped. "How'd you-?"

Seria narrowed her eyes, "You were eavesdropping on us, weren't you?"

"Well I couldn't help myself," Cleo said. "Especially after hearing what you'd just said, Seria! Why do I have to be left behind?"

"Well, considering your current relationship with Percy, I didn't think you'd want to go on a quest in where he's also involved." She explained; casually packing some extra clothes in her travel-pack. "Plus, Freya seems to have more useful abilities when it comes to field-work."

Now _that_ was offensive. "Excuse me?" Cleo growled, "I'll have you know, I am quite skilled with a blade! I mean, I've proved that countless times during sword training in the arena, haven't I?"

"She has a point there, Seria." Freya said; looking at the dark haired girl in confusion. "I mean, Cleo can hold herself better in a fight compared to me. I don't even have my abilities in control yet. So why not let her come with us?"

"Plus, there's also a chance Percy might not even be a part of this prophecy." Cleo insisted, "I didn't hear the oracle say his name. So why assume he'll be there?"

Seria looked at the two demigods with an unreadable expression. She opened her mouth to say something but she hesitated; taking in what her two friends had just said. Finally with a sigh of defeat, Seria just looked at Cleo and said, "Fine, you can come."

"Yes!" Cleo fist pumped the air.

"But you have to be ready in one hour. Pack essentials, nothing extra. Got it?" Seria said.

Cleo nodded her head, "Yes ma'am."

With a nod Seria smirked. "Meet me near the forest area in an hour. Girls, we've got a quest to attend."


	21. Hitching With a Muse

A/U: Hello my readers! I am back with the twentieth(21st if you count the prologue) chapter of Gamble with Fate. This chapter was inspired by a friend of mine who brought up a really good point during our discussion of random Percy Jackson related things. I also have a few updates:

-I will now be posting new chapters of Gamble of Fate every three days after one chapter is posted. I have other stuff being planned for summer, so this might not be a concrete time length but it will be the usual time-span inbetween new chapters. - For my Assassin's Creed fanfic: It is on **hiatus**. I haven't been getting into the fandom lately and to be honest, I haven't touched my Assassin's Creed games for a long time. So I've forgot some of the basic plots for Altair and Ezio. The story isn't discontinued, but it will be put on hold as I try to re-play the games, or maybe watch the playthroughs that are on Youtube.

And that's it for updates. Now onto the story! Hope you enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE PERCY JACKSON SERIES OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. THEY ALL BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN, THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK SERIES. I ONLY OWN THE OCS THAT YOU SEE HERE.**

* * *

Just as they had planned, all three girls had gathered together in the forest near the camp. Leaning next to her favorite pine tree, Seria greeted her friends with one of her rare smiles. The moon was shining brightly that night, giving the daughter of Hades an odd glow about her; making her seem almost radiant in the darkness. Then again it could just be the effect of being the child of the God of the Underworld.

Adjusting the strap of her backpack, Seria looked to her two companions. "You guys ready? I hope you know that once we're out of the camp's boundaries, there is no turning back."

Cleo and Freya firmly met Seria's gaze and nodded their heads. Both were carrying full packs filled with necessary supplies and equipment that they may need during the quest. Cleo had even dressed for the part; switching out her usual blue skirt, to a pair of faded, denim jeans that still managed to make her look stylish, even though she tried to dial down on it.

Seria grabbed onto both of the girls' wrists and grinned almost maniacally; sending a chill down both of their spines. "Hold on tight," she warned them, though her eyes said otherwise. Without another word and in the blink of an eye, the trio disappeared from view and into the darkness around them.

* * *

The cold, winter air rushed past them as Seria shadow-traveled everyone into the city. Every building and tree that they passed looked almost like a splatter of colors than shapes. For Freya and Cleo, the experience was both scary and exciting. The rush almost made them feel like they had separated from their bodies and left them back at camp, and that Seria was actually holding onto their souls instead of their wrists.

Eventually, the rush came to a stop. Stopping near the entrance of the Chrysler Building, Seria promptly relinquished her hold on her two friends and fell to the ground. Her skin was drenched with sweat and her neatly combed hair had once again become a giant mess of tangled black strands that would take hours to straighten out. She had enough energy to move her head around to take in their surroundings; they had made it into New York City, and so far, no monsters were in sight. That was good since that meant Zoë and the others hadn't arrived...yet.

Freya let out a loud cheer once she got hold of her bearings. The red-head looked down at her black-haired friend and grinned. "How on earth did you do that?! That was like, totally awesome!" She threw her hands upward for emphasis. "Can we do it again?"

Biting back a smile, Seria shook her head. "No, not right now, Freya. I...I'm too tired. I've never shadow-traveled that far before."

Though she looked a bit disappointed, Freya nodded her head in understanding. She didn't want to push her friend anymore than she already had. "So," she said, looking at Cleo, who was still sitting on the ground, looking rather dizzy still. "Where are we?"

Cleo looked around the area, squinting her eyes a few times. "Well, since we're right in front of the Chrysler Building and seeing as how Lincoln Tunnel is just a few ways down the road," she turned to the others. "I deduct that we're in Manhattan."

"The sun has barely even risen from the horizon," said Seria. "I don't think the others will be here yet."

All three girls released a sigh of relief; they had a chance for a much needed rest. Right on cue, Freya's stomach released a loud growl. Everyone turned to the red-haired demigod, who in turn just sheepishly smiled at them. "What?" she mumbled, rubbing her stomach pathetically. "We left so early that I didn't even get a chance to eat breakfast. Don't judge my stomach for being so vocal about what it wants."

Cleo and Seria didn't blame her. They too had rumbling stomachs that were practically begging to be fed. The question is, where could they eat without risking being spotted by potential monsters?

"Hey," Cleo grabbed everyone's attention. "There's a Dunkin' Donuts right across the road. Why don't we get some breakfast there?"

True to her word, there indeed was a Dunkin' Donuts right across from their position in front of the Chrysler Building. It was a moderately sized fast-food place and it wasn't all that crowded, so it would be easier for them to spot any oncoming monsters. But then again, the monsters would also get a clear view of them. But how could they refuse? They were so hungry and tired. If they continued on without eating something, no doubt all three of them would collapse from hunger.

"Alright," Seria slowly got up from the ground. "To Dunkin' Donuts it is."

It was too early in the morning for the fast-food restaurant to be busy, but there were a few customers scattered about the vicinity. Most were tired looking businessmen, who looked like they'd want nothing more but to go back home and continue sleeping. Seria almost felt bad for them. The Dunkin' Donuts smelled like freshly made donuts and coffee, instantly sending the three demigod's stomachs into a growling frenzy. Before they could attract too much unwanted attention, they quickly grabbed a table at the farthest corner of the establishment; more preferably, the table closest to the fire escape.

Freya didn't even waste one second as she immediately browsed through the menu near the registers. Seria could've sworn she saw the girl salivating already. Said daughter of Hades twitched and fidgeted in her seat. Her eyes were constantly darting back and forth between the front doors and the clear glass windows located pretty much everywhere in the establishment. There were just too many risks here, and it didn't really allow Seria the relaxation that she needed at the moment.

Cleo and Freya took notice of their friend's odd behavior and immediately brought it up to conversation. "What's wrong, Seria?" asked Freya. She placed a reassuring hand on the Asian girl's shoulder as an attempt to calm her nerves; it didn't work.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a bit jumpy," Seria said.

"Why?" asked Cleo, whose eyebrows were raised with interest.

Taking a deep breath, Seria explained to the both of them, "It's very common for demigods to be attacked out in the open like this. It's one of the reasons why Camp Half-Blood even exists, to protect demigods and teach them how to defend themselves. So," she averted her gaze from her friends, "I'm just a little uneasy."

"No need to worry!" Freya patted Seria's back as she gave the girl one of her many carefree smiles. "I bet there are no monsters around here for miles. So just kick back and relax, Amagi. No need to stress out so much."

Seria didn't look so reassured but she hesitantly nodded her head, leaning into her chair a bit to appease Freya's suggestion.

"Okay! Let's order us some grub!" Freya got up from her seat and was just about to approach the nearest register until Cleo grabbed Freya's arm and pulled her back into her seat. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Idiot," Cleo hissed. "How in the world are we supposed to order if we don't even have money?"

The thought never struck Freya and Seria. They were so preoccupied about preparing to sneak out of camp that they forgot one crucial thing: regular-old, American money! Freya groaned, slamming her palms into her face. "So much for breakfast..."

Shaking her head at the stupidity of her two friends, Cleo rose from her seat and looked down at the two. "Stay put, and let me handle this."

The two watched her as she approached one of the male registers with all-too familiar smirk on her face. Cleo's lips moved as she spoke to the employee and in mere minutes, the man looked like he was completely smitten with Cleo. It didn't take long for the blonde to return to the table with two trays filled with glazed donuts, other treats, and three giant cups filled with coffee.

"Cleo, have I told you how much I _adore_ your charm-speak abilities?" Freya immediately grabbed for a cup and a few donuts; stuffing her face silly with the pastries.

Cleo said nothing but she wore a very triumphant smirk during the entire time they ate through the pile of donuts.

By the time they had eaten their fill, most (if not all) of the donuts were gone and their cups were already half-empty. With a renewed vigor, they returned to their main focus: the quest for Artemis.

"So," Cleo said, sipping at what was left of her coffee. "What should we do now, leader?" She looked to Seria, who looked very deep in thought. "You got us out of camp, but where do we go to next?"

"We know one thing," Seria said. "The quest is held somewhere in the west. If we could only pinpoint the exact location, we'd be able to meet up with the others. Maybe even get there before they do and get the quest done and over with."

Freya cocked an eyebrow. "West, huh... Well, the furthest you can go in that direction is California. So I bet ten bucks that they'll be headin' over there for the quest."

"Then again," Cleo butted in. "The quest may not even take place here in the USA. It could be out of the country for all we know."

"If that's the case, then we truly have no other leads." Seria admitted, her eyes narrowed at the thought of defeat.

As Cleo and Freya continued on with their discussion about the quest, Seria found herself getting lost in her thoughts. There were just too many factors to consider in this particular prophecy, and one of them definitely revolved around Luke. So far her only clue had been the nightmare that she had a few nights ago. Luke had been chained down, forced to bear something upon his shoulders. The clue there had been the location. The surroundings in the dream looked rocky and from the way Luke's hair had been whistling in the vision, she could deduct that he was imprisoned somewhere pretty high.

_'It has to be a mountain_,' Seria clenched her fists. '_But what mountains are there in the west? I need to find a map of some sorts to get a good idea of the geography around here.'_

Before she could even expound any further in her thoughts, the hairs on the back of her neck rose up as a chill went down her spine. Her instincts were just screaming that danger was close, too close for comfort.

"Nobody make any sudden movements." Seria hissed under her breath. Her warning instantly made Cleo and Freya tense and had silenced their conversation. "There's a monster near. Nobody move or say anything. Let me locate it."

Both girls slowly nodded their heads; eyes wide with panic.

Seria's smoky-gray orbs scoured through the premises, searching for the monster. That's when she saw it. Near the entrance lingered a beautiful woman with flawless, pale skin and long, black hair. To others in the eatery, she would've been seen as regular, yet extremely beautiful, woman; in fact, a few of the male customers were already eyeing the woman down. But to Seria and any demigod, the illusions of the Mist were cleared, allowing them to see the truth. To what others see as a beautiful woman, Seria saw a woman who looked beautiful only from the face to the waist until it was completely marred by the slithering, snake-like bottom where one's legs would be. The woman was a _lamia_.

"Lamia at six o'clock," Seria whispered; not taking her eyes off of the woman for one second.

Freya was clutching her hands tightly, trying to get a grip on her nerves. "The heck is a Lamia?" She resisted the urge to turn her head and sneak a peek. "Is it dangerous?"

"Yes, it's dangerous. By gods, Freya, do you _ever_ pay attention in class?" Cleo hissed, not risking to take a quick look at the lamia. "_Lamiae_ are beautiful women with snake-like bodies. They prey on men and seduce them before drinking their blood. They're also said to eat children."

"So on a scale of one to ten, how screwed are we?"

"Ten," Seria said. "Okay, listen carefully. I want you two to slowly head over to the fire-escape as quietly as possible. Make sure not to do anything or make any noises that could possible catch her attention. If we do this right, we won't need to risk a fight with her."

The two girls nodded their heads and slowly got out of their seats and quickly, yet quietly, made their way over to the fire-escape. As they headed for the metallic door, they were able to catch a glimpse of the monster. What they saw shocked them. It just proved to them that the monsters of Greek mythology truly existed in the world. The shock distracted Cleo to the point where she bumped her leg against one of the tables; instantly blowing their cover.

It was almost instantaneous. The lamia turned her head to their direction and what once was a beautiful face, contorted to a hideous snake-like expression. She darted quickly toward them, pushing customers and tables out of her way as her snake-like body slithered toward them at break-neck speed. They were able to escape from her line of sight just by a nanosecond. If it weren't for Seria's quick reflexes (She threw a chair at the monster before pushing Cleo and Freya through the fire-escape.), they would've all ended up as the Lamia's personal demigod breakfast.

"Phew, that was-" Freya wasn't even able to finish her sentence as the fire-escape received a nice big dent that narrowingly missed Freya's head by an inch, causing the red-haired demigod to scramble away, yelling a string of curses that would put a sailor to shame.

Without a second to lose, the trio darted across the street and was just a half-way across from the Chrysler building when the fire-escape's door literally went flying out. The lamia slithered out of the building, her forked tongue flicking at the air. When she caught sight of the three retreating demigods, she let out an ear-splitting scream as she chased after them.

"Hurry," cried Seria. "She's catching up to us!"

Cleo screeched as she felt the lamia grab at her leg, sending her slamming to the ground. "Help me!" Cleo screamed in terror as the snake woman began to drag her away and toward her fanged mouth.

"Cleo!" Freya turned around and ran towards her. "Your sword! Use your sword, Cleo!"

The child of Aphrodite yanked the charm off of her choker and instantly, the brooch turned into a beautiful sword made completely of celestial bronze, a monster's worst nightmare. With a swift swing of her sword, Cleo managed to slice at the lamia's hand. The snake-like woman screamed in agony as she pulled back her hand, freeing Cleo from her grasp.

"Hey fugly," called Freya. "Take this!" The daughter of Hecate focused her energy onto the ground and slowly, a chunk of earth rose to the air and Freya threw it right at the lamia's head. The monster hissed angrily as the chunk of soil slammed right into her face with perfect aim, but it didn't take her down. If anything, Freya had only succeeded in angering the lamia even more.

The monster darted towards Freya, swiping her clawed hands at the red-head. She was able to dodge, but the monster's claws were able to rip a part of her shirt and scratch a bit of her skin. The lamia was about to attack Freya again but Cleo swung her sword at her once more, making the monster back away from Freya to avoid getting cut by the celestial bronze. From her behind, Seria swung her sword to deal a killing blow but the lamia sensed her presence and quickly turned around, catching Seria's arm in a tight grip. The monster's face contorted as a sick grin spread across her face and with unbelievable strength, she threw Seria right at Freya and Cleo; sending all three sprawling to the ground like a bunch of bowling pins.

The three demigods knew they were done for as the snake woman slithered towards them, claws raised as she was about to deal the finishing blow. Then...

_Snick!_

The lamia's face flickered from a menacing smile to a look of shock. The snake-like woman only had time to look down at her chest, where the tip of a bronze arrow protruded out of it, before exploding into a cloud of golden dust.

The three demigods could only stare owlishly at the spot where the lamia once stood. All were shocked at the lamia's sudden demise. All caused by a single bronze arrow.

Coming down the road and towards their direction was an all-too-familiar car; a Red Maserati Spyder.

"No way," Freya muttered as she picked up the bronze arrow. "Don't tell me _he_ actually came to take us back to camp."

Seria suddenly felt a wave of nervousness hit her. Of all the things to happen, she didn't count on being saved by Apollo, who was also one of the camp directors. '_No doubt, he came here to bring us back. I should've expected this outcome.'_

All three girls were tense as they waited for the car to park right in front of them. But much to their surprise, the one who was driving the sun chariot wasn't Apollo. Instead, coming out of the driver's seat was a young, cheery-looking young woman with platinum blonde hair that was styled into a bowl-cut. She wore a loose, light green sweater with a brown leather jacket, jeans, and a pair of white snow boots. This girl was definitely _not_ Apollo, unless the sun god had the ability to change gender (Which he might, but they didn't exactly want to think about it).

"Hello there!" greeted the young woman with a bright smile, which could greatly rival Apollo's. "So glad to see you all in one piece, yeah? That was a pretty close call, y'know. Good thing I came just in time to shoot Miss Ugly to dust, or else all of you guys would be snake food. And trust me, that ain't pretty."

The three girls were speechless as the woman easily stepped over the lamia's golden remains and nonchalantly kicked them across the area, spreading the gold dust everywhere. The first one to find their voice was Freya, who looked at the woman with a mix of suspicion and excitement. "Um, I don't mean to be rude but... who are you?"

The woman grinned; whoever she was, she was extremely friendly but if there was one thing the trio could sense, it was that this woman _wasn't_ human or a demigod. "Oh, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. I am one of Lord Apollo's nine Muses. I am Calliope, Muse of Epics."

Freya's excitement deflated a bit, but her interest was still piqued. Seria, however, was confused; why was one of Apollo's muses here? "Why are you here?" she asked, "I don't mean to be rude but I don't think muses go lamia hunting that often."

"Isn't it obvious, silly?" Calliope giggled. "I came here to help you three with your quest. Usually, the ancient laws prevent me from giving you direct help but I don't think giving you guys a ride is that bad. It's not like I'll be disclosing classified Olympian information to you three."

"And why do you want to help us exactly? I mean, Apollo obviously isn't going to lend us a helping hand anytime soon. So why bother?"

Calliope's smile faltered for a few seconds but the cheery, grin returned with increased vigor. "Well, honestly, I want to help you guys because I honestly believe that this quest would make for a wonderful epic!"

_'An __epic__? That's why she wants to help us?' _ Seria almost wanted to slap the muse for such a stupid reason. Then again, she was the Muse of Epics. Her love of epic poetry can't really be helped.

"Either way," said Calliope. "Pass or fail, the quest would still make for a wonderful story to recite to everyone on Olympus."

Seria grimaced. '_Yep, she's very helpful indeed.'_

Seria grew uncomfortable with the muse's never-ending supply of happiness, and looking at her other two companions Seria knew she wasn't alone with the thought. "I...I guess we'll take up on your offer, Lady Calliope."

The muse laughed. "Oh drop the _'Lady'_ shindig would ya? It makes me feel a thousand years-older. Just call me Calliope."

"Um, okay...Calliope."

"Great!" The muse clapped her hands together and continued to smile down at the three young demigods. "Let's make this car a tad bit bigger for all of us! Then we can head off into the road!" Taking out Apollo's car keys (Seriously, how did she get his stuff?), Calliope pressed the alarm button and instantly, the chariot changed shape. What stood on the road was no longer Apollo's favorite Maserati Spyder; instead, it was a jade Camaro with black racing striped running down its hood. "That's better!"

Looking at each other nervously, the three demigods got into the car with Seria sitting in the front and Cleo and Freya staying in the back. Before Freya could get into the car, Calliope held the girl back and placed an object in her hand. "A gift from your mother," she said. "She hopes that you will find some use to it someday."

Looking down at the item, Freya found herself staring at a golden canister with an intricate design around its base. "What am I supposed to do with-" Freya looked up only to see Calliope getting into the driver's seat. With a heavy sigh, Freya pocketed the apparent gift from her mother and got into the back-seat with Cleo; deeply curious as to what her mother's gift could do.

Once everyone was buckled in, Calliope hit the gas pedal and sped them all off into the Lincoln Tunnel.


	22. The Nightmares Get Worse

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Percy Jackson and The Olympians nor any of its characters. They all rightfully belong to Rick Riordan, the author of the series. I only own the OCs that are present throughout the story.**

**Enjoy :)**

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_'Where am I? Where's Cleo and Freya? What is this place?'_ Those were one of the many rapid-fire thoughts that were going through Seria's head after she woke from her nap and found herself no longer in the Camaro-formed sun chariot, but in familiar dark environment with a thick layer of fog blocking her line of sight.

During the ride in the sun chariot with Calliope, Seria ended up dozing off in the front seat; choosing to take a quick power nap while the Muse of Epics took them to their destination. What she didn't expect though, was to find herself in the same dreary environment that Seria had accustomed herself to seeing in her dreams. For all Seria could know, maybe she was still in a dream. But at the same time, everything just felt too real to be one.

"Cleo? Freya?! Lady Calliope?!" called Seria, but she received no response. In fact, her calls just echoed back to her before falling back into the usual silence.

**"_There is no use to call for your friends, little girl."_**A deep, dark voice echoed all around Seria. **_"You are alone. But, I think you are used to the feeling, are you not?"_**

The voice laughed. Its laugh was so deep and loud that Seria could feel it vibrate in her body. It unnerved her, but Seria knew better than to let her fear take control of her.

"I'm never alone!" She shouted back, frantically looking around her as she tried to find the source of the voice. "Show yourself, you coward! What have you done to my friends and Lady Calliope?!"

The ground began to shake and the loud echoes of heavy footsteps began to get closer and closer to Seria's location. Through the heavy fog that surrounded the area, Seria could make out the form of a man coming towards her. It wasn't the same figure that she saw in her previous vision where Luke was chained. No, this figure was much bigger than the last.

A pair of glowing yellow eyes peered down at the demigod and no doubt, a smirk curled up on the foggy figure's face. Without warning, a large hand grabbed Seria and lifted her up into the air as if she was a mere ragdoll. The demigod squirmed against the giant's grip, but it was of no use. She was stuck and at the mercy of the figure's grasp.

**"I am no coward, you foolish demigod," **laughed the figure; his yellow eyes glaring down at the daughter of Hades. **"Look at you! Squirming like a pathetic insect! You are weak, daughter of Hades! You have always been weak. If you were strong, then why is it that you have brung nothing but despair for your friends and your so-called _'family'_?"**

A sharp pain shot through Seria's head, making her feel as if a hot iron was being held against it. Images blurred through her line of sight. But where they just images? No, they began to look like clips, as if an old movie was playing right before her eyes. At first, all she saw were blurs. Then, they became shapes and continued to clear until Seria finally recognized some all-too familiar faces.

"Mark? N-Natalia?" Seria choked.

She saw her friends standing outside Hades cabin, both with expressions of mourning. In Natalia's hands were a bouquet of white lilies, which she gingerly placed onto the porch of the cabin before erupting into sobs and wails of pure despair. Mark enveloped the ginger-haired demigod into a tight hug; the usual strong facade that he put up disappeared as he too began to shed tears.

The memory changed, this time it was Chiron, though a much younger-looking version of the centaur. The camp director was in his human form, leaning against his wheelchair with a tired yet sad expression on his face. He was wearing black, the color of one who was in mourning. And from afar, he looked at the rising black smoke from the amphitheatre, where a shroud burning was taking place.

The images, the memories... Seria knew what she was seeing and it tore her heart apart. She was watching the aftermath of her death; what had happened in the days that followed after she died fighting Medusa seventy-years ago.

"Stop," Seria cried as she watched another memory, this time of Mark leaving camp to throw himself into the war. "Stop it!"

The grip around seemed to have disappeared as she yelled out the command, letting Seria drop back to the ground with a loud, _BAM_. Shaking off the pain and the oncoming headache, Seria looked around only to find that the figure had disappeared but another took its place. It was also a familiar face to Seria, and to see him here was a shock.

"Luke?" Seria approached the teen, whose back was turned towards her.

He didn't respond.

She had a bad feeling about what was going to happen, but she stepped closer to the son of Hermes. "Luke?" She called again, only to receive no response once more.

As she stepped closer, Seria noticed that the fog began to recede to the point where she could see the son of Hermes more clearly. Then she noticed a weapon in his hand. Not just any weapon either. It was a gold scythe, which looked far too large for someone like Luke to even carry.

"Luke? Wha-" Seria's words were caught in her throat as Luke turned to face her. His face wasn't kind anymore and the scar on the right-side of his face looked angrier, as if he had received the scar just recently. But what scared Seria the most was his eyes. They weren't blue anymore. They were yellow just like the dark figures'.

Before Seria could even react, Luke ran towards her with the scythe poised to strike. It didn't even take a second for the blade to plunge into her side and for everything to go dark once more.

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**A/N: **Oooooh! Drama! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter since it explains a bit more about what happened after Seria's _"death"_ in the 1940s. And in case any of you would ask the two demigods that made an appearance here are:

**Mark Abel, Son of Zeus**  
**Age:** 17/Died at the age of 22  
**Appearance/Personality:** Dirty blonde hair that was always messy wherever he went, blue eyes, and slightly tanned skin. He was fairly built in the muscle department because of all the training he did at camp. Usually seen wearing the camp's shirt, some slacks, and running shoes. His weapon of choice was a sword that he nicknamed "Hydra".**/**Mark was an arrogant young man, who often thought himself to be better compared to the other campers. This often lead to fights between him and Seria, who strongly believed that each camper was special in their own way.  
**Bio:** A close friend of Seria's. He and Seria started off as rivals and have countlessly attempted to get rid of each other since their first meeting. After Natalia convinced them to cease their rivalry, they decided to settle for one last fight (in which became a draw). After the fight, Mark had earned Seria's respect after saving her from a Minotaur attack during a quest. They eventually became close friends and it was often hinted that Mark had feelings for the daughter of Hades; feelings that he never brought up. After her death, Mark was sent into a long state of depression, often denying that Seria really died. Eventually, when he turned 18, he left camp to fight in WW2. He died in battle.

**Natalia Arkson, Daughter of Poseidon  
Age: **16/Died at the age of 89  
**Appearance/Personality: **A small, petite young lady with long, wavy ginger hair who had bright green eyes and freckles all over her face. She often wore the camp shirt with a sweater jacket, a long blue skirt, and black sandles. Her weapon of choice was a spear (and sometimes a trident).**/**Natalia was usually extremely optimistic and is always seen smiling. Having a good sense of humor and a kind heart, she was extremely popular with the other campers. Despite the constant fighting she does against monsters, Natalia is often a pacifist and is the one who always ends fights.  
**Bio:** One of Seria's closest friends. Seria met Natalia during her early years at camp. Even before Seria had been claimed, she was still alienated by her fellow campers for her race (Japanese). Only Natalia lent a helping hand to her and stood by her side even when Seria had been claimed as a child of Hades. When Mark joined their little group of two, Natalia grew to admire the boy but chose to step-back due to the obvious attraction he had to Seria. Though disheartned by the fact, Natalia chose to support the two and often was the one who pestered Mark to confess. After Seria's death, Natalia was devastated and secluded herself from the others. No longer the cheery-self that she once was, she grew distant to everyone. Eventually Mark's choice to leave camp and join the war was the last straw for her. She attempted to rebuild herself and become the same-old Natalia that she was before Seria's death, but it wasn't the same. Eventually she lived her life, got married, had children of her own and eventually grandchildren. She died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 89.

Tadaaa! And that's it for Ch. 21 (22 if you count the Prologue)! Hope you enjoyed and if you did, please send me some feedback! Just hit the review button below. :) See you next time~


	23. Skeletons Go BOOM!

**A/N:** Hello dearies! I'm back with more chapters and with coffee in hand. Just so you know, this was posted pretty much at 2 AM. See how much I love you guys? I sacrifice sleep for it. Anyways, this chapter was fun for me to do. Know that I've never been to the Smithosnian, so my description isn't all that great and may be incorrect. I also should tell you that some Luke/OC is highly hinted here, and I hope you enjoy the interactions between our favorite backstabber and our protagonist. If you have any feedback about the chapter or the story in general, please leave me a review. It's easy, click on the bottom button at the end of the chapter and- VOILA! I'm serious though, feedback and comments are greatly appreciated, _especially_ if you have a few tips and critique for me.

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE PERCY JACKSON SERIES. ALL CHARACTERS AND STORYLINE BELONGS TO THE AUTHOR, RICK RIORDAN. I ONLY OWN THE OCS AND ORIGINAL WRITINGS AND SETTINGS THAT YOU WILL SEE HERE. ENJOY! :)**

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With a terrified shriek, Seria rose up from her laid back position at break-neck speed. Had it not been for the seatbelt that kept her strapped into the seat, her face would've been greeted by the sturdy windshield. Thankfully the belt restricted her movement, pulling her back into her seat with only a dull pain in the demigod's chest. Her head slamming against the leather seat snapped Seria out of her frantic state, but also gave her quite the headache.

"Seria!" A frantic voice came from behind her as a slightly hazy face appeared in her line of sight. "Seria, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Seria blinked her eyes as she attempted to clear her vision. Opening her mouth to speak, the only thing that came out was a slight groan. It seemed the nightmare spooked her so much that she couldn't exactly give her speaker a coherant answer for the time being. But the groan was the sole answer the person peering at her needed. They quickly disappeared from Seria's line of sight but the sound of frantic calling and heavy, yet quick footseps meant that the person was running off to get help.

Taking this as a time to get her bearings, Seria slowly unbuckled herself from the seat (though her hands were quite clumsy with the seatbelt) and sat up and rubbed her eyes. She noticed that her hands were sort of sweaty, as with the rest of her body. She felt so tired; it was like she didn't even sleep at all. A pounding in her head made Seria wince, her headache had now evolved into a migraine. She tried moving her limbs, just to make sure everything was okay. The sharp pain in each of them meant that things weren't _exactly_ okay; her muscles were sore, as if she had ran a marathon. Then again, she was held in an iron-tight grip in her dream but that couldn't be the answer. It was a _dream_, a nightmare. It couldn't be real. Right?

Seria stared at her hands as she tried to make sense of what she had seen. _'That figure... He was different from the one in my vision. It was terrifying. I couldn't do anything... I couldn't fight, I couldn't break free. I've never felt so helpless before. And Luke...'_ A chill went down her spine as she remembered how cold Luke's eyes were. The shine in his eyes weren't there like it always was. Instead, she had stared into a pair of cold, gold eyes that seemed to freeze her from the inside in.

"Seria!"

The fifteen-year old jumped in surprise as someone called her name outside. Turning her head to face the window near her seat, Seria noticed that Cleo was standing outside of the passenger's seat, where she was in.

The blonde girl opened the car's door and looked down at the daughter of Hades; an expression of worry was on her face. "Freya told me that you woke-up screaming. Did something happen? Are you hurt?"

It amazed Seria how quickly Cleo became so caring over the year. It made it hard to believe that a year ago, she and the blonde weren't exactly "best friends" as they were now. "No, I'm okay. I-I just had a nightmare, that's all."

"It must've been some nightmare if it made you scream like that." Freya appeared behind the dotting blonde with an aloof grin on her face. Despite the tease, Seria knew Freya was just as worried; it was evident in her eyes. "You sure you're gonna be okay, Skull Girl? If you need to rest a bit more, we can-"

"No, no," Seria cut off Freya before she could finish her sentence. "I'm fine. Really," she smiled as an attempt to convince her friends that she really was okay, but in truth, she really wasn't.

"Well, okay. If you say so," said Cleo; she didn't look like she fully believed Seria but she allowed the Asian girl to get out of the car.

When she exited the vehicle, Seria noticed that they weren't on the road anymore. Instead, they were parked near a large lake where a large obelisk overlooked the busy street. "Where are we?"

"We're in Washington D.C., Pennsylvania... I think," answered Cleo as she looked at the large, white obelisk. "And that's the Washington Monument. Never thought I'd get to see it in person. It's a beauty isn't it?"

Seria shrugged, she didn't really care much about American monuments; too busy being a demigod to really appreciate the normal things in life. "I suppose so."

Looking around, she noticed that they were missing a particular someone. The person who drove them all the way here. "Where's Calliope?"

As if on cue, a familiar bob of platinum hair ran across the field where the Lincoln Memorial was. The Muse of Epics ran towards them but this time, her usual perky attitude wasn't showing as usual.

"Is something wrong, Calliope?" Seria asked.

The muse smiled, though it seemed a tad bit forced, as she shook her head. "No, no, dearie. Nothing's wrong, it's just..." She trailed off as she stared at the gold cell phone that she was holding. "How should I put this? I'm sort of in a spot of trouble at the moment. So, this is where our little road-trip ends." A sad smile appeared on the muses' pale face.

"What?" Cleo walked up right next to Seria with a look of disbelief on her face. "You can't just leave us here! Where would we go?"

"I'm sorry, I really am!" said Calliope, sounding truely sincere. "But Apollo finally noticed that his sun chariot was missing. So I have to head on back to your camp and explain myself to him."

Freya laughed. "So you really did steal his sun chariot."

Calliope grinned. "I wouldn't say _steal_. That's such a nasty word, hon. I prefer using the word _"borrow"_." But her grin disappeared as fast as it came. "But I mean it when I say I'm sorry for dropping this on all of you. But no worries, I'm sure you'll find your friends around here somewhere. Then you'll all be able to save Artemis together, yeah?"

Seeing as how big Washington D.C. was, Seria doubted that they'd be able to find the others very quickly. But it seemed that they had no other choice but to let Calliope go. "Alright," Seria sighed. "Thank you for helping us, Lady Calliope. We appreciate all that you have done for us."

"And for giving us a ride," Freya added in. "Seriously, you are officially one of the best Greek deities ever! Stealing Apollo's chariot? Nice!"

Calliope smiled at the three demigods and gave each of them a tight hug. "I wish you all good luck on your quest." With one last smile, the platinum-haired muse disappeared inside the driver's seat and drove off unto the street. After a few miles, the car turned into a ray of light and shot into the sky, before disappearing from the trio's line of sight.

"So," Freya looked to her two friends. "Where do we go now?"

"Look!" Cleo pointed just past the Lincoln Memorial, towards a large cluster of buildings. "It's the Smithsonian! If we go there, maybe we can find a map of the country. Hopefully that can help us on our quest."

Freya's stomach growled loudly causing the red-head to smile in embarrassment. "Yeah, and maybe some food while we're at it."

As the trio got closer to the Smithsonian, they noticed how empty the area was. For what was a great tourist attraction, there weren't that many tourists going around.

"It's probably because school is still in session," Cleo explained. "Plus, it's too cold for most people to even bother going out. So we don't have to worry about getting crowded by a bunch of people."

As they approached one of the museums, Seria felt a familiar warmth grow in the front pocket of her pants, where she keept the pocket watch that Luke had given her. Checking to see if any of her friend's were looking her way, Seria cautiously took out the silver watch from her front pocket. To her amazement, the watch was glowing, but not in the usual way that it does when Luke calls her. The glow was faint and if the sun was shining any brighter, the glow would've been close to non-existent.

_'What could this mean?'_ Seria stared at the watch in confusion. She tried opening it as usual, but she received no misty image of Luke. Instead, she was staring at a regular old clock. _'If Luke's not trying to contact me, why is it glowing? Is it broken?' _Something in the rational part in her brain told her that enchanted items couldn't really _"break"_, but that option is always possible.

Growling in frustration, the black-haired demigod slammed the casing shut and continued following her two friends, who were standing in front of The National Air and Space Museum. As she got closer, the glow of the watch increased, catching Seria's attention once more. Picking up the pocket watch again, Seria held it in front of the National Air and Space Museum, only for it to dull its glow again. This piqued her interest. She slowly began to turn, holding the watch at arms length. The glow began to increase as she continued to move, until it finally started glowing as bright as a flashlight. Looking up from the watch, she found herself standing in front of The Museum of Natural History.

"Now why would this thing glow in front of here?" Seria looked down at the pocket watch in confusion. "Maybe... Just maybe," she mumbled to herself as she stared at the building. Looking over her shoulder, Seria watched as Cleo and Freya continued bickering amongst themselves, completely oblivious to their friend's disappearance. Deciding to follow her instincts, Seria pocketed the watch and approached the towering building. _'Maybe it's got something to do with Luke...'_

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Now, first thing Seria noticed before she entered the history museum was a giant sign that hung at its entrance. Being dyslexic, it took her a few minutes to fully understand the sign which to her, said, **"CLOSED FOR PARROT EVENT".** It took her several more minutes, and this was when she was _already_ in the building, to realize that _"parrot"_ was actually _"private"_. At least her guess was partially close. _Partially._

Quietly entering the premises, Seria walked through a large chamber filled with dinosaur skeletons. The colossal size of the bones made Seria shiver at the fact that creatures that big used to roam the earth. Then again, she's faced countless monsters just as big. Deeper into the chamber, she heard a faint murmur grow louder as she approached a set of closed doors. It took her a nanosecond to realize that there were two guards standing in front of the doors before quickly hiding behind a large pillar that was nearby.

_'Darn it! How can I get in now?'_ Seria peeked out the edge and analyzed the guards. They looked human, then again looks can be deceiving. But she had a definite feeling that two were definitely human. She didn't sense anything odd about them, but she couldn't say the same thing for whatever were behind those doors.

From behind her, Seria could hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching. Pressing herself closer to the pillar, she watched as a tall man marched (literally) down the hallway. From the get-go she knew there was something familiar about the man and as he got closer, she finally realized why. The blue and brown colored eyes were the giveaway; it was Dr. Thorn, the manticore from Westover Hall.

_'What is __he__ doing here?'_ Seria watched closely as the two guards opened the doors and allowed him in. Taking this as her chance, she focused hard as she faded into the shadows and shadow-traveled into the room.

When she got in, she was lucky enough to reappear behind an unfinished dinosaur exhibit. Well, Seria assumed it was unfinished since parts of the dinosaur (like its head) were missing. As she observed the occupants of the room, she couldn't really say that she wasn't startled. If it had not been for her self-control to repress a gasp, she would've been noticed and it would've been game over for her.

She was in a huge round room with a balcony on the second level. There were at least a dozen mortal guards on the balcony, plus two monsters;both were reptilian women with double snake trunks in place of where regular legs were supposed to be. Seria remembered seeing pictures of the monsters before in a book, but the name escaped her mind. But the horror show didn't end there. Standing between the snake women was Luke, who looked like he'd been through hell and back. The son of Hermes' skin was pale and his blonde hair looked gray; it was like he had aged ten years in a matter of months. She noticed that something in Luke had changed; he looked angrier and just like in her nightmare, his scar was red around the edges as if it had reopened.

Next to Luke, sitting down where the shadows could shield him from view, was another man. All Seria could see were the man's knuckles on the gilded arms of his chair, like a throne.

The room was filled with monsters and humans (maybe demigods) alike. Whatever Seria found herself in, apparently it had just started.

"Well?" asked the man in the chair. Seria recognized the man's voice. It was the same one from her dream the night before the Capture the Flag match against the Hunters. It was the type of a voice that isn't easy to forget; it was deep and strong, like the earth itself was talking. It echoed throughout the room even though the man wasn't yelling.

Dr. Thorn stood stiffly as he answered the man. "They are here, General."

"I know that, you fool," boomed the man. The sheer power in his voice made everyone (including Seria) in the room flinch. "But where?"

"In the rocket museum."

"The Air and Space Museum," Luke corrected.

Seria felt her breath get caught in her throat. Had they noticed Cleo and Freya as they entered the museum? Where they caught? Whatever they were talking about, Seria began to dread that it had something to do with her friends.

Dr. Thorn glared at Luke; he looked like he'd rather run the demigod through with a spike instead of listening to his orders. "As you say, _sir_."

"How many?" Luke asked.

Thorn pretended not to here, irritating not only Luke but the man sitting in the shadows as well. "_How many_?" the General demanded.

"Four, General," Thorn said. "The satyr, Grover Underwood. And the girl with the spiky black hair and the... How do you say? _Punk_ clothes and the horrible shield."

"Thalia," Luke said.

"And two other girls, Hunters. One wears a silver circlet."

"_That_ one I know," the General growled.

Dr. Thorn didn't end it there, "I also spotted two more entering the museum, ones that I do not recognize. A girl with bright red hair and one with blonde hair, wearing a necklace with a celestial bronze charm."

Seria cursed under her breath; they did manage to spot them. She already knew this was bad news. The others were also here, though Percy wasn't mentioned. This could be their chance to group with the others and get out of the area, _fast_. But at the moment, Seria had no exits. Everywhere she looked there were either monsters or humans standing near the exits. And even if she managed to get out, there were still guards outside who could stop her. For now, Seria had to stay still and pay attention. So far, she now knew who the General was but his true identity was still a mystery.

"Let me take them," Luke said to the General. "We have more than enough-"

"Patience," the General said. "They'll have their hands full already. I've sent a little playmate to keep them occupied."

"But-"

"We cannot risk you, my boy."

"Yes, _boy_," Dr. Thorn said with a cruel smile. "You are much too fragile to risk. Let _me_ finish them off."

"No." The General rose from his chair, allowing Seria to get her first look at him.

The General was a tall and muscular man, with light brown skin and slicked-back dark hair. He wore an expensive brown silk suit; his fancy clothing clashed with his build and appearance. He had a brutal face, huge shoulders and hands that looked like they could snap a flagpole in half. His eyes were like stone; looking into them, Seria felt like she was staring at a living statue.

"You have already failed me, Thorn," he said.

"But, General-"

"No excuses!"

The startled look on Thorn's face almost made Seria laugh. To see the manticore's pride get knocked down a peg was certainly amusing; she assumed Luke may have enjoyed it as well, seeing as he had quite the amused smile across his face. Originally Seria had found Dr. Thorn intimidating, albeit scary, during their initial confrontation at Westover Hall. But seeing him stand near the General, the manticore now looked like a tiny wannabe soldier. The General, on the other hand, was the real deal. Even without the military uniform, he was obviously born to lead.

"I should throw you to the pits of Tartarus for your incompetence," the General said. "I send you to capture a child of the three elder gods, and you bring me a scrawny daughter of Athena."

"But you promised me revenge!" Thorn protested. "A command of my own!"

The General stared down at Thorn, making the manticore quickly regret talking back at him. "_I_ am Lord Kronos' senior commander," said the General. "And I will choose lieutenants who get me results! It was only thanks to Luke that we salvaged our plan at all. Now get out of my sight, Thorn, until I find some other menial task for you."

Never had Seria seen a person's, or monster in this case, face turn _purple_ before, but Thorn's definitely did. Seria almost expected his head to explode, but instead the manticore bowed awkwardly and quickly left the room. No doubt with his pride in complete shambles.

Seria looked around carefully as she quickly moved closer to the balcony in order to overhear any of the General's plans. If she could learn more about what their planning then her chances of finding Artemis would be exceptionally higher, and if they can find where the kept Artemis, no doubt Annabeth wouldn't be too far behind.

"Now my boy," the General turned to Luke. "The first thing we must do is isolate the half-blood Thalia. The monster we seek will then come to her."

"The Hunters will be difficult to dispose of," Luke said. "Zoë Nightshade-"

"Do not speak her name!"

Luke swallowed. "S-sorry, General. I just-"

The General silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Let me show you, my boy, how we will bring the Hunters down."

Seria looked up at Luke through the corner of her hiding spot behind a pillar. "Luke... What did they do to you?" She must've spoken a little too loud since Luke actually turned his head toward her hiding spot. Luckily, she was able to duck out of his line of sight just in time to avoid being seen. He must've sensed another person's presence after that, but he shrugged it off and focused back onto the meeting.

"You!" The General pointed to one of the guards at the ground level, one that was a little too close to Seria's location for her to be comfortable. "Do you have the teeth?"

The man stumbled forward with a ceramic pot. "Yes, General!" The poor guy was literally shaking in his boots.

"Plant them," the General ordered.

Seria watched with wide eyes as the guard approached a big circle of dirt that stood in the center of the room. Looking back at the unfinished dinosaur exhibit that she had hid behind a few minutes ago, she assumed that it used to stand in the center; not at the corner of the room. Returning her focus back to the guard, Seria watched nervously as the guard took sharp white teeth out of the pot and pushed them into the soil. He smoothed them over while the General smiled coldly.

The guard stepped back from the dirt and wiped his hands. "Ready, General!"

"Excellent! Water them, and we will let them scent their prey."

The guard picked up a little tin watering can with daisies painted on it, which stuck out in the room filled with dangerous monsters. But when the guard tilted the watering can, Seria noticed that liquid was a deep red. With the way that her stomach was churning, Seria figured what the guard was pouring wasn't strawberry juice.

The soil began to bubble.

"Soon," the General said, "I will show you, Luke, soldiers that will make your army from that little boat look insignificant!"

Luke didn't take the General's comment very well. He clenched his fists and glared at the colossal man. "I've spent a year training my forces! When the _Princess Andromeda_ arrives at the mountain, they'll be the best-"

"Ha!" The General laughed. "I don't deny your troops will make a fine honor guard for Lord Kronos. And you, of course, will have a role to play-"

Seria frowned at the words. _'A "role to play"? What role? Just what are they planning to do to you, Luke?'_

"-but under my leadership, the forces of Lord Kronos will increase a hundredfold! We will be unstoppable. Behold, my ultimate killing machines!"

The soil erupted. Seria backed away, trying to put as much distance between her and the erupting soil-cano at the center of the room.

In each spot where a tooth had been planted, a creature was struggling out. When the first of them popped out, it said:

"Mew?"

_'Kittens?'_ Seria stared down at the small orange tabby that climbed its way out of the soil. _'The General's ultimate killing machines are... kittens?'_ She didn't know whether to laugh or be confused as at least a dozen kittens popped out of the dirt and began rolling and playing in it. If it weren't for all the monsters in the room, Seria would've ran and grabbed one for herself. She had a slight weakness for the cute little animals.

"**What is this? Cute cuddly kittens? Where did you find those teeth?!**" The General roared with outrage.

The guard who'd brought the teeth cowered in fear; scratch that, the poor sod looked like he was going to soil his pants. "From the exhibit, sir! Just like you said! The saber-toothed tiger-"

"No, you idiot! I said the tyrannosaurus! Gather up those... those infernal fuzzy little beasts and take them outside! And never let me see your face again."

The terrified guard dropped his watering can. He gathered up the kittens and scampered out of the room. Well, there goes Seria's chance of getting a saber-toothed kitty as a pet.

"You!" The General pointed to another guard. "Get me the _right teeth_. _NOW_!"

The new guard ran off to carry out his orders.

"Imbeciles," muttered the General.

"This is why I don't use mortals," Luke scoffed. "They are unreliable."

Seria was caught off guard by Luke's comment. He sounded so cold... it wasn't like him._ 'Then again, Chiron once told me that Luke betrayed the camp on his own free-will.'_ She flinched, shaking her head to rid of the thought. _'No! Luke's changing, he's different now. I know that!'_ But a pit of doubt began to grow in her thoughts.

"They are weak-minded, easily bought, and violent," the General grinned. "I love them."

A few minutes later, the guard hustled into the room with his hands full of large pointy teeth. No doubt, from the tyrannosaurus exhibit.

"Excellent," the General said. He climbed onto the balcony railing and jumped down twenty feet.

He landed with a loud: _THUMP!_ The sheer force of his landing cracked the marble floor under his shoes. The General stood, wincing, and rubbing his shoulders. "Curse my stiff neck."

"Another hot pad, sir?" A guard asked, acting more like a butler than a guard. "More Tylenol?"

"No! It will pass." The General brushed off his silk suit and then snatched up the teeth. "I shall do this myself."

As he held up one of the teeth, a sick smile stretched across his already marred face. "Dinosaur teeth... HA! Those foolish mortals don't even know when they have dragon teeth in their possession. And not just _any_ dragon teeth. These come from the ancient Sybaris herself! They shall do nicely."

A slight panic coursed through Seria's body as she watched the General plant the dragon teeth. She now knew what the General was planning; she had read it before in an old book. Jason of the Argonauts had to face this as a trial to retrieve the Golden Fleece, had it not been for Medea's help, he would've failed and died.

Once the General sprinkled the soil with the red liquid, he grinned down at the soil and held his arms out wide. "Rise!"

The dirt trembled, even more than it did with the saber-tooth teeth. A single, skeletal hand shot out of the ground, grasping the air. Seria clutched her head in pain as a horrible ringing filled her ears; the sound of the dead re-emerging wasn't exactly pleasant to children of Hades. In fact, it surprised Seria that she wasn't losing conciousness right on the spot.

The General looked up at the balcony. "Quickly, do you have the scent?"

"Yesssss, lord," one of the snake ladies hissed. She took out a sash of silvery fabric; the kind that the Hunters wore.

"Excellent," the General chuckled. "Once my warriors catch its scent, they will pursue its owner relentlessly. Nothing can stop them, no weapons known to half-blood or Hunter. They will tear the Hunters and their allies to shreds!" He looked to the snake woman. "Toss it here!"

The skeletons erupted from the ground; twelve in total. Each one represented the tooth the General had planted. Seria stared at them in horror; she may have read of them in books, but to see them in person was something else entirely. The skeletal warriors were slowly growing flesh (Something that isn't very pleasant to watch.), turning into men, but men with dull gray skin, yellow eyes, and modern clothes; gray muscle shirts, camo pants, and combat boots. From afar, they looked human, but up-close you would see the difference; their skin was transparent and their bones shimmered underneath. It was like looking at living X-ray images.

Seria noticed one looking at an empty spot with a look of ire, then she caught one looking straight at her. Its yellow eyes were terrifying, like they could see right through her. It made Seria's insides feel ice cold.

The snake woman released the scarf and it fluttered down toward the General's hand. As soon as he gave it to the warriors, they would hunt Zoё and the other Hunters until they were extinct. Despite everything that she had against the Hunters of Artemis, Seria couldn't let that happen. She had to get the scarf from the General before he could give the scent to the warriors.

Then, the improbable happened.

Before Seria could even lift a finger, a whole group of warriors fell to the ground as an invisible force plowed right through them like bowling pins. Instantly, the scarf was snatched away from the General's grip and held in the grasp of an invisible person.

"What's this?" The General snarled. "An intruder! One cloaked in darkness. Seal the doors!"

"It's Percy Jackson!" Luke yelled. "It has to be."

_'Percy?'_ Seria stared at the empty spot where a silver scarf seemed to be floating in the air. _'That's right! He has Annabeth's invisiblity cap!'_

Deciding that now was a good time to make herself known, Seria jumped out of her hiding spot and forced her hands forward; a surge of shadows lunging at all the warriors that stood in her way and blew the doors open. "Percy! Go!" She yelled, as she drew her weapons.

The invisible person, who was no doubt Percy Jackson, followed Seria's order and darted out of the room but something grabbed him before he could leave. A skeleton warrior was able to rip a piece of Percy's camp shirt off and was now sniffing the scent, handing it off to his other skeletal friends.

"A child of the elder gods!" screamed the General. He quickly yelled at his warriors, "Get her!"

_'Here comes trouble...' _Seria faced off against the skeletal warriors who now blocked her way to the exit. From the corner of her eye she could see Luke staring at her in shock. She definitely expected an immediate call after all this, demanding an explanation.

_'Sorry, Luke. Reunion's going to have to wait.'_ Seria lunged at the group of warriors and began slashing at them with her swords, but none of the blades did any real damage. Everytime she dislodged one of their limbs, they'd brush it off, put their limb back on, and continue fighting. The General seriously wasn't kidding when he said that no weapons could harm them.

"No weapons? Fine," she cracked her knuckles. "Lets try physical force then!"

With a loud battle cry, she plowed right through the skeletal warriors, sending them tumbling to the ground. Now that the exit was clear of enemies, it was the right time to high-tail herself out of there.

Seria sprinted toward the exit at break-neck speed, pushing away one of the skeletal warriors that had attempted to get back on his feet. To her surprise, her push did more than sending him back onto the ground. With a bright flash, the undead warrior literally exploded right where he was standing; leaving only ashes where it once stood.

_'Well, would you look at that. Another perk of being Hades' child.'_ Seria darted through the doors and out the hallway, heading out towards the National Air and Space Museum; where she's sure even more trouble awaits her.


	24. Battle at The Smithsonian

**A/N: **Hello, hello! Twisted here with another chapter of Gamble with Fate. Let's have a quick recap shall we? We last left off with Seria eavesdropping on the General's little "conference", where she learned of his plan to use the skeletal warriors (grown from dragon's teeth) to hunt down all of the Hunters of Artemis. After a little skirmish with the skeletal warriors themselves, Seria quickly runs towards the National Air and Space Museum in hopes to warn her friends. Let's get on with the show, shall we?

**DISCLAIMER:**** I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS OR ANY OF THE RELATABLE CONTENT USED HERE. THEY'RE ALL OWNED BY THE SERIES' AUTHOR, RICK RIORDAN. I ONLY OWN THE OCs USED IN THE FANFIC AND RESPONSIBLE FOR CERTAIN SCENES THAT YOU SEE HERE. :)**

Oh, and don't forget to leave me some feedback when you're done reading the chapter. Just click the button below. I'd really appreciate it. ENJOY! :)

* * *

Seria zipped through the Mall, pushing and hurdling over objects and people alike before she slammed open the doors of the National Air and Space Museum. The site before her was nothing short of chaos.

People were running all over the place. A whole group of children (who probably were on a field trip) ran right by Seria, led by a frantic-looking teacher. All the exhibits were a mess. Some of the rockets and airplanes had been taken down, pillars were cracking, and pretty much everything else looks like a tornado had blown in and turned everything upside-down. Taking one step into the premesis, a large roar echoed throughout the area and out of nowhere a body slammed right into Seria causing her to crash into the ground with the body weighing heavily against her chest.

Seria groaned, staring down at the body that lay on top of her. Imagine her surprise when she caught a glimpse of a familiar tuft of blonde hair. "Cleo?" Seria was alarmed. "What happened to you? What happened to the whole museum?"

The daughter of Aphrodite looked like she'd taken a beating from an Ares kid, if one was the size of a giant. A large bruise shined against her pale skin and her leg was covered in scratches. "A lion," she groaned. "A huge, glittering, metallic... lion." Then she was out for the count.

Seria wracked her brain for a monster that could be categorized under _huge, glittering, _and _metallic_. But all thoughts came to an abrupt stop when the "_huge, glittering, metallic lion_" himself dropped right in front of her.

Seeing it for herself, Seria could understand why Cleo said that the lion looked metallic (and glittered). It was roughly the size of a pick-up truck, with claws of silver that gleamed dangerously in the museum light. Its fur was a shining gold and the lion just so happened to be staring right at her. Seria was face-to-face with the Nemean Lion.

_'This is definitely NOT my day.'_ Seria cursed, slowly bringing Cleo's unconscious body into her arms and attempted to _slowly_ back-away from the lion, praying to whatever Olympian god that the lion wouldn't notice her presence.

Luck, sadly, wasn't on her side; the Nemean Lion snarled and pounced at Seria. The demigod barely dodged the long silver claws that easily sliced at the wall where she once stood, creating a deep crevice against it. Tumbling across the museum floor, Seria laid Cleo's body in a small corner between the restrooms. Once she made sure her friend was out of harm's way, she faced the snarling beast.

"Alright, _kitty_," Seria growled, drawing her weapons. "You want a fight? You got a fight."

The lion's attitude worsened at being called _"kitty"._ It swiped at Seria again with its sharp silver claws, only to miss as the demigod ducked out of the way. Seria slashed her swords against the lion's paw in hopes of harming it to the point of disuse, only to have it scrape harmlessly against its fur. The shock of her weapon making no damage distracted Seria, allowing the lion to get a clear blow at her. With one powerful swipe of its paw, the demigod was sent flying across the room; smashing into one of the space exhibits, which broke apart upon contact.

With a groan Seria attempted to rise up from the metal pieces that were once a spaceship replica, only to fall back onto her back. The lion approached the fallen demigod with what seemed to be a cruel grin curling on its maw. It raised its clawed paw, ready to strike the final blow. Seria braced herself for the impact, but...

"Here, _kitty-kitty~" _

A blast of fire hit the lion's face, sending it staggering backwards and away from Seria.

"Not a big fan of fire, are you?" Standing on the balcony railing was Freya, who was covered head-to-toe in dust; no doubt she must've received her fair share of wall-smashes today. But she wasn't alone. Standing next to her was none other than Percy Jackson, Thalia Grace, and Grover, followed by Zoë Nightshade and Bianca di Angelo; both had their arrows drawn and aimed at the Nemean Lion.

"We shall handle the lion," said Zoë. "Freya, assist your comrades."

"On it," Freya leaped from the balconey railing, landing right next to Seria on the shattered remains of the spaceship replica. "Hey, Skull Girl," she chirped, pulling the daughter of Hades back on her feet. "How ya doin'?"

"Just peachy," she grumbled, though the pounding headache she had said otherwise.

"You sure?" Freya cocked an eyebrow. "You look more like you're about keel over, sunshine."

Seria sighed. "I'm fine, Freya. _Really_," she looked at her friend with a look of gratitude. "Thank you for saving me, Freya. If you hadn't come around, I would've become that lion's lunch."

Freya cracked a smile. "No prob, Seria." Her smile dropped as she realized that a certain someone was missing from their little reunion. "Holy sh-... Seria! Where's Cleo?! She ran into that monster first and tried to fight it before I got smacked right into the gift shop! Oh, by the way," she handed Seria a necklace with a miniature of the Washington Monument, "I got that for you while I was there."

Seria rolled her eyes; only Freya would snatch a necklace from a gift shop during a dangerous fight. "Focus, Blake. Cleo's unconscious, but I hid her near the restrooms near the entrance. So she's okay... sort of."

"Seriously? A _restroom_?" Freya laughed. "If she knew about that, she'd tear-"

"Hey!"

The two demigods turned their heads to see Thalia yelling at them, shield up and spear drawn as she held back the Nemean Lion. She gave them a frustrated look before screaming out again. "Are you two done chatting?! We need some help here!" As if to prove her point, the lion smacked Thalia away like a mere rag doll.

_'Right; back to business,' _Seria thought, attempting to focus back on the matter at hand. But some odd movement from the corner of her eye caught her focus.

The doors of the entrance to the museum were slammed open by an all-too familiar group of skeletal warriors. As they surged into the museum, their cold yellow eyes caught the gaze of Seria; though she notices their attention seemed to be divided. Half of them were staring at Percy, while a handful were giving her a cold glare. Apparently they remember her little _"show"_ with one of their brothers-in-arms back in the Museum of Natural History.

Unconsciously, she tugged at her clothes to check if any of them managed to get a piece during their tussle. When she felt an uneven space at the back of her jacket, a cold chill just seemed to wash over her, making her feel like someone had just doused her with ice cold water. She didn't know whether to feel scared at the fact that she was now their target, or feel angry that they ripped her favorite jacket. Either way, she was in trouble.

"Friends of yours?" Freya looked at the skeletal warriors with a mixed look of fear and surprise.

"Not even close," Seria mumbled. She turned to Freya, giving the red-head a serious look. "Freya, I need you to wake-up Cleo. When you get her back on her feet, the two of you will help me take care of these guys."

"What about Percy and the others?"

A loud roar echoed throughout the building as Grover had managed to use one of his magic pipe songs to wrap the Nemean Lion in vines; effectively holding it in place for Percy, Thalia, and the others to continue hacking away at it. Though by now they probably knew that their weapons had no effect, it didn't stop them from desperately trying to find its weak spot.

"I'm sure they can handle the lion. As long as those creeps don't get to Percy, everything should be smooth-sailing." Seria put heavy emphasis on the "should". One could never be too sure about how the tides of battle would really go, especially if you were a demigod.

Freya looked a tad bit reluctant to let Seria go off alone, but she had her orders now. The newbie-demigod-witch darted off towards Cleo's location, leaving Seria to hold off the skeletal warriors for the time being.

_'Let's just hope my plan doesn't end up with me getting killed,' _Seria mused sarcastically, before darting off into her battle.

The closer she got to the skeletal warriors, the more she began to doubt how well she planned this to go out. She was outnumbered by one to at least ten. No doubt reinforcements would appear at some point, and should they come early into their battle, she'd be as good as dead. But the effect she had with the warrior she'd touched back at the Museum of Natural History gave her a slight bit of confidence in her decisions. If just one shove could make one warrior explode like a firework, imagine how easy the fight would be if it had the same effect with the rest of them.

The first of the transparent warriors locked eyes with Seria and immediately grabbed his weapon, which apparently was a billy club. If all of their weapons were billy clubs, then maybe the fight would be a lot easier than expected. Though with the General being their _"big boss"_, she doubted he'd give them simple weapons to deal with her and the others.

The fight began almost immediately; the warrior who had locked eyes with her first was the first to attack. Swinging the club straight at her face, Seria quickly ducked down and swiped her leg under the skeletons. He...it, went crashing to the ground, temporarily disoriented from the blow. With this opening Seria placed her palm onto the warrior's arm to test her theory. In the blink of an eye, the warrior seemed to shake violently before exploding into dust.

The others in the group were now aware of how much a threat Seria was to them and began to back off, but seeing the destruction of their "brother-in-arms" seemed to enrage them even further. The group surged forward, weapons raised to attack. Seria managed to avoid any harsh blows, but she didn't dodge every one of them. One warrior was armed with an army knife and managed to knick Seria in the left shoulder; the term "_knick" _being used lightly. The cut was deep and every time she raised her left arm, the sharp pain would make her stagger and slow down her strikes.

Avoiding an unwanted haircut from one of the warriors, Seria focused her energy to her center. With her body as a medium, all of the shadows nearby rushed towards her, forming a protective barrier around her.

_'This should keep me out of harm's way for a while,'_ Seria cradled her injured arm, wincing as the pain shot up again. _'If this keeps up, it's game over here for me.'_

"Don't worry, Skull Girl! We got your back!"

A dim flash of light crossed Seria's vision before promptly exploding, effectively scattering the warriors but also destroying Seria's shadow barrier.

Freya and Cleo ran into the scene with their weapons drawn; though Cleo still looked a little too groggy to fight, she immediately sliced off a nearby skeleton's head only to find it still standing. "What in Hades' name are these... these _things_?!"

"You know those skeletal warriors that Jason confused by throwing a rock at 'em?" Seria asked, rolling away from narrow stab from one of the warrior's swords.

"You mean the _Spartoi_?!" Cleo stabbed her saber into a nearby spartoi, only to have it grab at the blade and pull it closer as it attempted to give her a sucker punch. "We're against _spartoi_?! How do you expect to get rid of these guys?!"

"Like this," Seria punched one of the army-clad skeletons, allowing it to promptly explode into dust. "Apparently children of Hades can turn these guys into an undead light show."

"Well, maybe you haven't noticed," Cleo growled, chopping off the limb to another spartoi. "But Freya and I _aren't_," she stabbed a skeleton warrior's stomach for emphasis, "children of _Hades!_"

Slashing her way through the constantly re-attaching skeletal warriors, Cleo grabbed Seria's wounded arm and held her still; her mood ring eyes changing to a menacing red. "I'm the daughter of a _narcissistic_ goddess who isn't even _faithful_ to her husband! While Freya," she pointed to the red-head who was currently preoccupied encasing a handful of the ghost-like warriors in a force field (How she managed to do that, no one would ever know), "is the daughter of a creepy, maybe evil _witch_!"

"Hey!" Freya turned her head, giving Cleo an offended look. "I resent that!"

"Shut up!"

"Duck!" Seria quickly shoved Cleo to the ground; allowing the blonde girl to escape a major haircut via Swiss army knife. With a quick grab to the arm, the attacking warrior disappeared in a blink of an eye. With a sharp pull upwards, she brought Cleo close to her and gave her a challenging glare. "Just keep them busy. Trust me. If these guys aren't held back or stopped, do you know _who_ they'll be after?"

Cleo stayed silent.

"_Percy Jackson_." Seria watched as Cleo's eyes grow wide with alarm. "That's their _real_ target. Now, will you help me?"

The daughter of Aphrodite didn't give Seria a direct answer, but her eyes projected the answer on their own. Seria watched as they flickered from red, to a shade of yellow (most likely representing shock), before dimming down to a foggy blue. It didn't take a genius to know that Cleo still cared for Percy even after their huge fight. The hard look Cleo decided to throw at her only confirmed it.

Biting back a smile, she watched as Cleo immediately returned to the fight; holding off the spartoi with a renewed vigor. Originally, she knew that bringing up Percy to the argument could be defined as a low-blow, but as the saying goes: _"All is fair in love and war."_

A strong grip tensed around Seria's wrist and before she could even process what was going on around her, her assailant pulled her away from the chaos of the fight and into a secluded corner; away from the spartoi and, more importantly, her friends.

The first instinct that kicked in was of course the offensive strike. She slammed her foot down right on top of the stranger's before bringing her right hand forward and slamming the butt of her sword against her assailant's chest. When the unknown person was brought to their knees from the blow, Seria raised her sword and prepared to strike. What she didn't expect was for the person to quickly dart forward, grabbing Seria's right hand, twisting it behind her back and effectively pinning her to the wall in the all-too cramped space.

For a minute, all that could be heard from the two was just heavy breathing. Both out of breath from the blows they had dealt to one another. The first to speak was the person who pulled Seria away from the fight.

"We have _got_ to stop meeting each other like this." The voice had quite the effect on Seria; it made her hear skip a beat, sent her thoughts running at a mile an hour and made her palms extremely sweaty."Keep this up, Amagi, and we might end up actually killing each other at some point."

She had to turn her head to an uncomfortable position just to get a good look of the speaker, though she already had a pretty good guess on who it was. Seria could barely see the pair of sky blue orbs boring right at her, but just seeing those eyes made a grin stretch across her face. "Luke!"

The son of Hermes quickly placed a finger against her lips, quickly quieting her down. "Shush," he mumbled; an amused grin curling on his lips. "Keep it down, Seria. We wouldn't want those see-through creeps to hear us, now would we?"

Seria felt herself blush as she slowly nodded her head; she found it embarrassing that she just acted so... impulsively. But now wasn't the time to act like a love struck fool. "Why are you here, Luke?"

"I should be asking _you_ that," said Luke. "What you pulled there back at the Museum of Natural History was extremely risky. The General knows who you are now, Seria. You're in even more danger now."

"I don't care about that," Seria said; her eyes narrowed as she looked over Luke's sickly features. "What happened to _you_, Luke? Look at yourself. It looks like you've aged ten years!"

Luke opened his mouth to talk back but was quickly silenced by Seria's hand.

"And _don't_ say it was _"nothing"._ Your hair is _graying_ and you're extremely pale, Luke. Just what have they've been doing to you? And you better be honest!"

For a while, all they did was stare down at each other. It was like a battle for supremacy; neither one averting their gaze from one another. Waiting until one of them cracked or decided to back down, which Luke eventually did. He knew Seria was a determined lady and would stand her ground until she got what she wanted.

"Alright," he sighed; never had she heard Luke sound so tired before. It made him look so much older. "I may have... bitten off a little more than I could chew for the past few days. So, I guess I'm a little rundown. Keeping Kronos off my back about our communication is hard enough, y'know. But add on the General..." He trailed off; his eyes narrowed as a thought went through his head. "I've got a handful to deal with, as you could see during our little _"conference"_ in the history exhibit."

Seria still remembered Luke's harsh comment about _"mortals"_ during the General's little meet-up. She didn't bring it up, but she did have some questions running through her head. Though for the time being, now just didn't seem the time to voice them out.

"You can't expect me to believe that the reason why you look like a zombie is because you were just... tired, do you?" Her smoky gray eyes narrowed at the son of Hermes.

Luke raised his hands in a mock-surrender. "Hey, you'd be surprised what sleep deprivation can do to a person."

Seria's eyes only narrowed further; a part of her didn't quite believe in Luke's excuse, but the other sort of did. Fatigue can cause disastrous effects to both demigods and mortals alike, but not to such a terrifying stature to how Luke looked at the moment. But she knew Luke wouldn't share anything more, even if she pushed him further.

"Fine," she muttered.

"Now, it's your turn to answer my question." Luke looked at Seria with a steely expression. "Why are _you_ here?"

"To search for Lady Artemis," she answered. "She was taken, Luke. There was a prophecy at camp, and I, along with a few others, are a part of it."

Luke's expression only seemed to get even more grim as Seria shared her reason. Whatever it was, he didn't like the sound of Seria being involved in the quest. "Is there a way I could convince you to turn back?"

Seria frowned, "No."

The son of Hermes sighed, scratching the back of his neck in mild frustration. "Stubborn as always, Seria," he smiled at her, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "Since you seem so determined to find Artemis, I can only warn you about those skeletal warriors. Though, with the presentation you gave us a few minutes ago, I highly doubt you'd even need a warning."

Seria smirked. "Well, I'm already acquainted with the _Spartoi_, Luke. Don't worry, they can't cause much harm around me."

Luke laughed; it made Seria's heart skip a beat. "I know that now. But, you still need to be careful. They're still extremely dangerous, even if you can take 'em down with a touch. I know the General is planning on sowing even more of them, and you know that numbers tend to change the odds in battle."

Seria nodded her head.

"Now, about Artemis," Luke sighed. "I'm not _entirely _sure about where the General placed her. But I know it's somewhere in California. So if you're really serious about rescuing her, I suggest you-"

Luke was cut short when a loud roar echoed throughout the building, before quickly dying out.

Taking a quick peek around the corner, Seria wasn't surprised when she saw the Nemean Lion slowly fade away into golden dust, leaving behind a shining fur jacket which was picked up by Percy himself. She knew they could handle the lion on their own.

"That's our signal to go," Seria said, focusing back onto Luke. "Thank you for helping me, Luke. I appreciate what you're doing."

Luke shrugged; an aloof smile was plastered on his face. "Ah, it's not a big deal."

"Yes, it is." Seria said. She had an idea, a crazy idea... but an idea. "Luke, why don't you come with us?"

Her offer caught him off guard. "What?"

"Come with us," Seria repeated; she had a determined expression on her face. "That way you can be out of harm's way. Kronos, the General, and Dr. Thorn won't be able to harm you anymore and you won't have to do this undercover thing anymore either. Luke," she held onto Luke's hand reassuringly, "you'd be safe."

For a moment, Luke's expression flickered in-between a spark of happiness and sudden discouragement. For a long time, he remained silent as he mulled over the offer Seria was giving him. Then he made his decision.

"I can't," he said.

Seria frowned. She didn't understand. Why would he say no?

"What?"

Luke sighed. "Seria, I can't. I can't come with you. The others... Seria, I'm branded as a traitor. I can't go with you."

"I can explain it to them," Seria pressed on. "I can tell them that you aren't a traitor! That you can be trusted!"

"Then they'd know that you and I have been conversing with each other," Luke retaliated. "Seria, we can't let them know that. Even if you do explain, once they know you've been talking to me all this time, you'd be branded as a traitor too." He held onto Seria's shoulders. "And I can't let that happen. Camp Half-Blood is the only thing protecting you from Kronos. If they exile you like they did with me, then it's all over."

Seria felt her eyes burn. She knew Luke was right, but it just wasn't fair.

"Seria!" She could hear Freya calling her already. "Seria, where are you?! We've got leave! More of those spara-... sparta...WHATEVER they're called are coming! We've gotta go!"

Turning back, she could indeed see even more of the skeletal warriors, called spartoi, coming into the National Air and Space Museum. If she didn't leave now, she and her friends would inevitably get captured. But she couldn't just leave Luke behind.

Luke smiled down at Seria. As if he could read her thoughts, he enveloped her in a reassuring hug and tried to console her. "It's alright. You've got to go, Seria."

She wasn't exactly sure what she was thinking or what she was doing, but Seria vaguely remembered acting completely on instinct as she pulled Luke closer and brushing her lips against his. It was a chaste kiss, it was also her first. When she pulled away, she met with a pair of wide blue eyes looking at her in shock. When realization of what she'd just done finally set in, Seria's cheeks burned a bright red.

The only thing she could muster up for an excuse was, "It was for good luck." Before promptly running away from Luke, regrouping with Freya and Cleo and then immediately darting out of the museum with a red face and slightly tingling lips from the kiss.

* * *

Okay, say it with me. FINALLY! Okay...sorry...had to do it. XD Seria and Luke are the main pairing of this story, so to finally write a kissing scene was...really nice. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! Got any feedback for me? Well then just type it up and then click the button below to send it in. Keep an eye out for ch. 24, which I will...get started on right away. 'Til then, bye-bye :)


	25. A Gift from the Sun

**A/N:** Hello my lovely readers! I have returned from the dead! Well...not _literally_, but you know what I mean. I'm sorry for the long hiatus, I was suffering from a bad case of Writer's Block. But no worries, I'm back with a new chapter and I'm pushing through to finish this story. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it and I would _really_ appreciate it if you could leave me some feedback. All you have to do is hit that review button and type in what you thought about this chapter. Please and thank you! Now, ON WITH THE SHOW!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Percy Jackson series nor any of its characters. They are rightfully owned by the author of the series, Rick Riordan. And the Greek gods are of course originally owned by the ancient Greeks themselves. I only own the OCs: Seria Amagi, Cleo Morrison, Freya Blake and any changes made to the original story (sort of like an AU). :) Enjoy!

* * *

Running away from a whole group of skeletal warriors was no easy feat. Sure they were all bones in general, but let's not forget that these guys were once tough-as-nails Greek warriors. Add some modern-day weaponry to their impeccable battle experience and you've got yourselves a _nearly_ unbeatable group of warriors. But luckily, Seria and the others had managed to outrun them.

Well, they actually managed to get separated from Percy and the others, but let's be honest here; making sure to get away from those see-through creeps was definitely top priority. And losing sight of the others may or may not have been Seria's fault since she decided to shadow-travel purely on reflex.

Oh! And they most certainly _weren't_ lost. At least, that's what they were trying to convince themselves, but even that isn't really working.

Cleo let out an aggravated scream as she threw down the map she and Freya had bought at the Smithsonian. Seeing as they had no clue where they were _exactly_, a map was pretty much useless. The daughter of Aphrodite clenched and unclenched her fists on repeat; attempting to keep her rage in check. The last thing she wanted to do was take out all her frustrations on their equally tired, self-appointed _"leader"_, Seria. But really, we all know she totally would if they weren't on a time-sensitive mission at the moment.

"How do you even manage to shadow-travel unconsciously?!" Cleo kicked a nearby pebble, sending it flying through the air. "I mean, is that even _normal_ for children of Hades?"

Seria was bent over a trashcan, emptying all the contents of her stomach. Apparently the strain of shadow-traveling made her sick. _Really_ sick. So it took a while for the daughter of Hades to look up and meet Cleo's hard gaze. Ever since their squabble at the museum, they hadn't been able to talk each other without erupting into some sort of demigod version of a Mexican Stand-Off.

"It's normal, believe me." Seria grimaced, disliking the sour taste that was in her mouth. "At least, that's what my father told me after my first dizzy spell when I shadow-traveled for the first time."

Freya cocked an eyebrow; she noticed Seria often mentioned her father, Hades, in conversations. "Just when was the last time you ever spoke to your dad, Seria?"

The Japanese girl frowned. "The night before I went out to face Medusa forty-years ago."

Freya sucked in a sharp breath in-between her teeth. She probably should've kept her mouth shut. "Oh," she smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't meant to bring up any bad-"

"No, it's fine." Seria grumbled, taking a swig out of her water bottle.

"Can we focus on our current problem _please_?" Cleo snapped, angrily folding the map she had thrown down a few minutes ago. "We're stuck in the middle of no-where! We've gotten ourselves separated from Percy and the others after we'd _finally_ caught up with them! Why is it that we always draw the short-end of the stick?!"

Cleo only received two very nonchalant shrugs; something she really didn't need at the moment.

"Can't you guys take this seriously?!"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Cleo!" Freya swaggered up to her childhood friend and gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "We aren't _that_ lost. Are we, Seria?"

The black-haired demigod stared out unto the half-empty streets. "Not exactly," she muttered. She pointed at a faraway street sign that was barely even visible with the fading sunlight. "We're on Sudley Road. It says so on the sign."

"See it isn't _that_ bad, Cleo." Freya snatched the map from the blonde's grasp; quickly scanning it to check their location. "AH! See?" She pointed at a spot in their map. "We aren't that far from the Smithsonian. But we're far enough from those skeleton creeps. So I doubt we'll see their ugly faces again." The smile on the red-head's face seemed to grow even wider. (If that's even possible.) "See? We're also not that far away from a park. We can crash there for the night."

"A park?" Cleo looked disgusted at the thought of sleeping outside. "You mean, we're sleeping _outside_? Like on the ground? With the dirt and the bugs and-"

"Welcome to the life of a demigod, Morrison." Seria chuckled; stealing the map away from Freya so she could locate the park as well. "Follow me."

Of course Freya had no problems following Seria's orders but Cleo did. The blonde mocked Seria with her hand and begrudgingly dragged her knapsack behind her.

* * *

One thing you'd eventually have to get used to as a demigod is that you'd have to accept the fact that you'll end up sleeping in the most uncomfortable and oddest of areas. It's only once in a blue moon that a demigod can afford to sleep in a proper bed or find a hotel that would overlook their usual raggedy appearance. Usually the owners of those establishments, or the employees, would take one look and then send them out with threats to call the cops. Seria was used to it; it happened a lot back in her time period. Freya and Cleo on the other hand, were still newcomers to the thought of being a demigod, so they still hadn't accepted the thought (more so on Cleo's side).

The park was vacant, thank goodness. It's often better to sleep in areas where mortals aren't around to notice them. It's better to avoid drawing some unwanted attention; it keeps demigods from getting in trouble from the law _especially _when it involves fights and wielding their weapons.

The park was completely white with snow. Winter had kicked in, so it wasn't a surprise that there were no people in sight, nor were there any animals. It was just Seria, Freya, and Cleo. The benches and a few picnic tables were covered in snow. There was no inch of greenery in sight, just huge piles of snow stacked on top of each other.

"How are we supposed to sleep with all this snow?" Cleo asked, swiping a huge pile of the cold substance off of a bench. Honestly, she was filled with nothing but complaints the whole day. "We'll probably get hypothermia overnight!"

Seria rolled her eyes; sometimes Cleo's dramatics were extremely annoying. She turned her head to Freya, who met her gaze with a wide grin. It seems that they both had the same solution to their problem.

"No prob, Cleo," the red-head snapped her fingers and instantly, a ball of fire manifested in her hand. "If we can get some wood, we can make a nice campfire to keep us warm."

Cleo narrowed her mood ring-like eyes. "We're in a _park_. What if the _police_ notice our little campfire, hm?"

Freya pouted. "I'm sure we'll be fine. Look around you," she gestured to the whole park, "Do you see any guards around us? Do you hear any _sirens_? Nope. I'm pretty sure it's okay to make a fire. Anyways, dealing with the police isn't as bad as dealing with those... What do you call them again?"

"_Spartoi_?"

"Yeah, them!" Freya grinned. "So why don't you go get some firewood, Cleo?"

Cleo frowned even more. "Why me?"

"'Cause Seria's already clearing off an area for us."

Looking to the side, Cleo definitely saw the daughter of Hades clearing off some of the snow from the ground using one of her swords as a makeshift snow-shovel. And since Freya was going to be providing their only source of warmth, that left Cleo as the only person in their group who hasn't pulled their weight in work...yet. It irritated the blonde to no end to be proven wrong.

With a grumpy huff, she stormed off into a large cluster of trees in the park and began to pick up some sticks and break off some low tree branches. By the time she returned, Seria had already finished clearing off an area of snow for them and was sitting Indian-style in a corner with Freya, who was playing with her ability to control fire.

"Here," she said, dropping a whole bundle of sticks and branches into the center of their clearing. "Firewood. Now make a fire, Freya. _Now_."

When Cleo's eyes flickered to a menacing shade of red, the child of Hecate immediately threw a fireball at the bundle of wood, quickly setting it aflame. The sudden blast of warmth relaxed the trio. Though they could still feel the biting cold winter air, at least they now had a reasonably sized fire to sooth them.

Freya opened her knapsack and took out some sandwiches and threw some to Seria and Cleo. "I managed to snatch these from some vendor during the fight against the Nemean lion."

Seria and Cleo both shot Freya a judging stare when she explained how she got the food.

"What?" Freya shrugged. "Be grateful that I did, or else we wouldn't have anything to eat for the night." Then she promptly shoved her sandwich into her mouth; how ladylike.

As they ate their makeshift dinner, they began to discuss what course of action they should take next. Thinking about their odds, they realized their chances of success were very bleak. They'd lost sight of Percy and the others (which was promptly blamed on Seria's impulsive shadow-traveling) and they still had no clue to Artemis' location. In short, they were sitting ducks.

Cleo sighed. "Maybe we should just turn back. What's the point of continuing on if we have no clue where to go next? We'll just end up in a wild goose chase."

"No," Seria pounded her fist against the ground; determination fired in her eyes. "We can't just give up now! We may still have a chance to rescue Artemis and regroup with the others."

"Oh?" Cleo scoffed. "Then please, enlighten me."

Seria explained to the others about what she had overheard back in the Museum of Natural History during the General's little meeting; how the General plans on capturing the Hunters and killing them all with his skeletal warriors and how a few managed to get Percy's scent.

"Okay, first," Cleo said, "how in the world did you manage to sneak into that meeting without us? And two, what's your point, Amagi?"

"To answer your first question, I just simply walked in while you two were occupied," Seria explained. "And my point is, if the General has all these skeletal warriors after Percy then we can just follow them and let them lead us straight to the others. Plus, don't forget we still have the prophecy itself to act as our guide."

"Yeah knowing that it's somewhere in the west and located on a mountain is _definitely_ great help," Cleo rolled her eyes. "But may I remind you that a few of the warriors got a good whiff of _your_ scent too. So if we got near a group of them, they might attack you instead of leading us to Percy, Seria."

The Asian girl frowned; so much for her plan.

"Hey, at least she brought up a good point. We still have clues from the prophecy to guide us." Freya emptied out her knapsack and took out the map she and Cleo bought, but at the same time the golden canister that she'd received from Calliope as a present from her mother, Hecate, had fallen out as well.

With the light from the campfire shining off of it, the canister had gotten the attention of both Cleo and Seria.

"Freya, what's that?" Cleo asked, pointing to the golden object.

The red-haired demigod picked up the canister and stared at it. "I can honestly say that I have no clue as to what it is. All I know is that it's a present from my mom. Calliope gave it to me."

"If it's from your mother, the least you can do is open it." Seria said. "It might be helpful."

Staring down at the golden object, Freya couldn't possibly see as to how it could be helpful. It was a _canister_ for pete sakes. It's only function was probably just to hold water and act as a water bottle. But then again, her mother's the Goddess of _Magic_ -who knew what could happen.

She grabbed the lid and twisted it open. For a split second, nothing happened. Freya almost thought that she'd been right all along, but then a blast of wind blew from inside the canister, followed by a bright light. The two escaped from the canister's confines and floated into the air above their campfire. It manifested itself as a collection of dim light; it almost looked like a...

"Is that an Iris message?" Seria asked, standing up to get a closer look.

Freya didn't know for sure, but it sure did. But how was that possible? There wasn't a ray of sunshine or mist anywhere. She even stood in front of it, expecting her mother's face to appear and give her a message but nothing happened.

_'Maybe...'_ Freya looked over to Seria. "Do you have a drachma with you by any chance?"

Seria nodded and reached into her pant's front pocket, taking out a golden drachma and throwing it over to Freya. The fiery-haired demigod didn't know if this would really work, but she had to try. She threw the drachma into the apparition. "Show me Apollo," she said, "at Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York."

The apparition flickered for a second but eventually the image changed to Apollo, who was sitting at the steps of his cabin with a worried expression on his face.

"Apollo?" Freya didn't mean to say his name and get his attention; it was the shock that her idea worked that made her speak up.

The sun god heard her clearly and looked up; a look of shock crossed his face when he noticed the Iris message. "Freya?" He stood up and approached the apparition. Though she knew Apollo wasn't really in front of her, it felt like he was. She wouldn't admit it but she really did miss seeing the god's face every now and then.

"The one and only," she laughed nervously. How smooth.

Apollo smiled, he looked almost elated to see her but that expression was short-lived and was quickly replaced with anger. "I can't believe you three snuck out of camp!" The three girls flinched from the sheer volume of Apollo's voice. "Do you know how worried I-... I mean, Chiron was when he found out that you three were missing?!"

Freya frowned. "We didn't have much of a choice. It was the only way we could join the quest."

The sun god groaned, running a hand across his face in exasperation. "Again with the quest... What if you three _weren't_ supposed to even get involved? Then you'd be just putting yourselves in danger for no reason!"

"But we are!" Freya screamed back. Her patience with the God of the Sun was wearing thin (as always).

Apollo was livid. "I want you three to come back to camp _immediately_! Or so help me, I'll come and get you myself!"

"We aren't returning to camp until Artemis is found," Freya growled. She crossed her arms firmly in front of her, stating that she meant business. "And you couldn't find us even if you tried. You have no idea where we are."

"Wanna bet?" Apollo grumbled. The two of them just glared at each other, neither backing down until the sun god finally let out a defeated sigh. "Is Seria there?"

Nope, that totally wasn't a spark of jealousy that Freya felt. Nope, not at all. "Yes, she is." Freya muttered.

"Can I speak to her?"

Freya stiffly nodded her head and motioned Seria over, allowing the black-haired demigod to take her place.

"Yes, Apollo?" Seria said.

Apollo sighed. "Good you're alright. Seria, hear me out. You _have_ to return to camp. This quest is dangerous. You have no clue what you're up against."

Seria's gray orbs narrowed. "You want me to _abandon_ this quest? Apollo, do you even hear what you're saying?"

"I mean it Seria. Go home."

"You're prophecy clearly said that three more campers would sneak out in the dead of night -which is what _we_ did! We are clearly a part of this prophecy, so we are _not_ returning to camp until Artemis is found." Seria stated. She couldn't believe Apollo would even try to convince her to return to Camp Half-Blood. Didn't he care whether or not his own sister would even be found?

Apollo frowned. "Seria, I trust Percy and the others are fully capable of finding Artemis without your help. Just, _please, _return to camp before something happens to you."

This got Seria's attention. "You know, don't you?"

"What?"

"You know what's going to happen on this quest, don't you?" Seria glared at the man. "It is _your_ prophecy isn't it? Instead of trying to convince us to abandon this quest, you should be _helping_ us! Tell us where to go so we can find and rescue Artemis!"

Apollo let out an exasperated sigh. "Seria, it's not that simple. Just because it came out of my oracle's mouth doesn't mean I already know where Artemis is and what's going to happen. Sure, I know a few things but I don't know everything. If I did, you'd know damn well I'd be at her side in a heartbeat."

This just angered Seria further. "Then this conversation is over. We are _not_ going to return to camp, Apollo, and that's _final. _Obviously you don't care enough to even lend us a single hint._"_

Before she could cut the connection, Apollo looked at her with the most serious expression she had ever seen. "Seria, just because I can't tell you everything doesn't mean I don't care." Then the Iris message faded away into the air.

"What does he mean by that?" Cleo asked, a tad bit frazzled by the whole argument between Seria and Apollo.

"I don't know," Seria muttered. "But let's just call it a night. We'll figure out what to do in the morning."

The others nodded their head in agreement and all three lay down on the ground and attempted to get comfortable as they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

At the crack of dawn, Seria received _quite_ the wake-up call. A shrill, yet familiar shriek pierced the silence of early morning, sending Seria jolting to her feet and frantically scanning the area for any type of danger. But there was none. If _you_ had to receive an ear-splitting scream as your alarm at the crack of dawn for no reason at all, you'd definitely be extremely pissed like Seria was.

She stomped over to the source of the horrible sound, spotting a certain blonde drama queen easily in the stark white scenery. "_Why_ on earth would you scream like that in this unholy hour for no apparent-" Seria's words died out when she saw the reason why Cleo had screamed.

Parked on the street across from them was an all-too-familiar red Maserati Spyder. Just seeing the vehicle made Seria's head spin and for a second, she almost thought that she was still dreaming. _'Am I still dreaming?'_ She pinched herself. _'Nope, still awake.'_

Cleo was completely gushing over the car; obviously despite how wealthy she was, even her father couldn't afford a car like the one right in front of her. "Whose car is this? Is it for _us_? If it is I call shotgun!"

There was a small little note pinned to the windshield by one of the windshield wipers. Freya picked it up and read it out loud for everyone else to hear. "No scratches. Good luck. From, P.A."

A slight silence fell upon the trio, but it was quickly broken by Cleo. "P.A.? Who's P.A.?"

Seria already knew who _"P.A."_ was, but imagine her surprise when it was Freya who spoke up with a big smile on her face.

"It's from Apollo," she said. "It's definitely him."

"Remind me to give him a hug when we return to camp when this is all over," Cleo said, running over to the shotgun seat. "Let's hit the road!"

"I'll drive," Seria announced, getting into the driver's seat. "Don't worry; I know what I'm doing. Sort of."

"What about me?" Freya pouted. "There are no backseats. How on earth will I fit?"

"Think you can use your magic powers and shrink yourself?" Cleo asked. She wasn't smirking so that meant that she was being serious. "If you can, I can fit you in my shirt pocket."

Honestly, Freya didn't know if she _could_ manage that type of magic. But she had to try. So she closed her eyes and focused on shrinking to about the size of a regular school eraser. She felt a slight tingle all around her body; it almost tickled. When she opened her eyes, the world had suddenly grown larger all around her. Instead of standing in a snow-covered park, she was now on a mass of white snow.

"It worked!" Freya cheered.

Cleo got out of her seat and picked up the minimized Freya and placed her in her shirt's pocket. "There," she giggled. "Best seat in the house."

"Heck yeah," Freya cheered. "I feel like Stuart Little."

The girls laughed at Freya's silliness.

"Do you have any clue on where we need to go, Seria?" Cleo asked.

When she started up the car, in the center near the radio, a screen lit up showing their current location and a blinking light that was slowly on the move.

"Apollo's car has a GPS?" Freya gasped. "Oh that lucky bas-"

"Freya," Seria frowned. "Language."

"Sorry."

Cleo looked at Seria. "Do you think that blinking light is our destination?"

Seria's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "I guess so." It looked so odd to see someone as small and dainty like Seria take the wheel. They'd grown used to picturing Apollo behind the wheel, not Seria.

"But why is it moving?" Freya piped up, pointing to the blinking symbol that marked their destination.

The engine to the sports car roared to life as Seria prepared to hit the gas. "We're about to find out."

She slammed her foot down and the red sports car went racing down the road and towards their destination.


	26. The Calm Before The Storm

**A/N**: Hello fellow readers! I have returned with a new chapter of Gamble with Fate! Sorry it took so long, school will be starting up soon so I won't have that much time to update. But nonetheless, here in Ch. 25!

In case you want to know, this chapter takes place during Ch. 11-12 in the actual Titan's Curse book. If you know what happens in either chapters, I think you can guess where Seria and the other will meet up with Percy.

Anyways, on with the chapter!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE PERCY JACKSON SERIES OR ANY CHARACTERS IN THE SERIES. THEY ALL BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN, THE BOOK'S AUTHOR! I ONLY OWN THE OCS THAT YOU SEE PRESENT!**

* * *

When you end up driving an extremely powerful and dangerous vehicle that originally belongs to a god, you'd eventually notice that some natural laws are no longer in play. For example, Seria was pretty sure that they'd only been on the road for a few hours. Yet somehow the scenery changed from a busy, snow covered highway to snowy countryside faster than it really should. Even now she began to notice the beginnings of a barren desert area.

Sure, traveling at this rate meant that they wouldn't have to worry about reaching Artemis too late but there were cons; like, having to stop constantly as they tried to find a place to get some food for lunch. Now _that_ was a pain in the butt. If Seria had to hear one more honk and insult from an angry (mortal) driver, she'd go against her morals and send a shadow wave at them. Heck, she'd even do the same to Freya and Cleo right now. They wouldn't stop pestering her, asking the ever-so-infamous-

"Are we there yet?" Freya piped up. Shrinking down to about the size of an eraser had made her voice sound much more squeaky and high-pitched. It was cute the first few times but now, it was starting to get on Seria's nerves.

"For the last time, _no_," Seria growled; her teeth were clenched to refrain from yelling at her fiery-haired companion. "We are _not_ there _yet_."

"But we're _almost_ there," Cleo said. She pointed to the GPS, which showed that they really weren't that far from their destination, though the blinking light that represented it on screen was still moving, but at a much slower pace. "I think we can afford a break, don't you think?"

Seria looked at Cleo through the corner of her eye; the daughter of Aphrodite was practically using the puppy-dog look to win her over. Even Freya was doing it! With her being as big as Seria's pinky, the look's effectiveness pretty much doubled. They were double-teaming her! No fair!

With a defeated groan, Seria slowed down the sun chariot and parked it near the closest area with some shade from the sun. "Fine," she grumbled. "But we're only going to rest for like...two hours. After that, we'll go back on the road with _no_ distractions. Understood?"

The two girls nodded their heads; triumphant grins plastered on their faces.

Seria sighed, unbuckling her seat belt. "Now get out before I change my mind."

It didn't take long for the two to get out of the car and for Freya to revert back to her normal size; she was really getting the hang of using her abilities.

Seria wouldn't say it out loud, but she was thankful to get a break from driving Apollo's sun-chariot; which he graciously allowed them to borrow. It was a nightmare for any demigod to have to sit still for hours on end. Their ADHD, aka battle reflexes, pretty much made it nearly impossible for them to stay still for any amount of time. So getting the chance to stretch her legs was an offer Seria couldn't refuse.

Once she stretched her legs, Seria decided to take a walk and look around the area.

Looking around, all she could see was an empty road, miles and miles of barren wasteland, and a few dry shrubs here and there. She could create a guess that they were somewhere in Arizona, she could be wrong but still, it was a guess. Behind her, Seria could hear Cleo and Freya opening some bags of chips and other kinds of junk food that they'd managed to nab during a pit-stop at a nearby gas station. With Cleo's ability to charm speak, the cashier didn't even bat an eyelash as Freya walked out with her arms full of junk food; which was later kept in her knapsack when she shrunk down.

Leaning against a long-dead tree, Seria let her mind drift to the problems at hand. Thanks to Apollo's generosity, they were able to move forward and continue on west with a destination in mind. But what awaits for them when they get there? That's what made Seria worry. Would they find Artemis? She doubted that Arizona had any mountains, so that option could be ruled out. Maybe Percy and the others were there? If they are, that's great; but what if something happens to them when they arrive? The dangers of this quest continued to pile on, it almost made Seria's head spin to think about all the things that could go wrong.

_'But we have to continue,'_ Seria reassured herself. _'If Lady Artemis cannot attend the meeting by the winter solstice, the gods won't have a chance to prepare for Kronos' imminent arrival. If they can't agree on anything, everything would just fall into chaos and give Kronos the upper hand. If that happens, all is lost. Even Luke...'_

Seria's thoughts came to a screeching halt. Where did that come from? Yeah, sure, she liked Luke. The impulsive kiss at the Air and Space museum back in Washington D.C. proved that. But when did he start becoming as important as the possible end of the world? Moments like these are when she really hates being a female teenager.

Seria cursed her luck when the pocket watch Luke had given her began to glow, which only meant one thing: Luke was calling. What timing; it's only been two days since her impulsive lip-lock with the son of Hermes and she was currently fighting with her emotions about him when he chooses now, of all times, to contact her.

Taking a needed breath and calming her nerves, Seria flipped open the pocket watch; a misty image of Luke Castellan appearing in the air. "Luke," she smiled nervously, "good to see you."

In all honesty, she was happy to see Luke; even though their _"goodbye"_ two days ago was still fresh in her mind. But Luke didn't look so happy to see her. In fact, he looked haggard. His hair was disheveled and even through the misty projection, Seria could see that he'd gone paler.

"What happened?" She asked immediately. "And you better be honest with me!"

Luke hesitated to even speak, as if something was holding him back. "Nothing happened, Seria."

"Liar!"

"Good to see you too," he chuckled, though it sounded more forced.

"Luke, please," Seria pleaded. "Tell me what happened. You look awful."

The blonde boy sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you." He took in a deep breath. "After you and the others left the museum, the General... Well let's just say, he wasn't happy that he let two children of the elder gods out of his grasp. So, he wasn't very happy with everyone and used that anger to make everyone under him work 'til they dropped."

"Are you okay?" Seria asked. The fact that Luke seemed so nonchalant about what had happened worried her a little. If someone like the General made her work until she passed out, she'd probably be dead on her feet. Not relaxed and aloof like Luke was right now.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Luke sent her a smile. If she wasn't so worried, she'd probably swoon.

Seria frowned, "I still think you should've taken up my offer and came with us."

"The kiss was nice though," Luke smirked as Seria blushed at the mere mentioning of what she did. "Almost made me wish I'd followed you. But I'm tell you the same thing I said back at the museum; if I'd come with you, the others would know you were _"in cahoots" _with the enemy." He made air quotations when he said _'cahoots'_. "They'd call you a traitor and probably-"

"Yes, yes. Exile me from camp or kill me, I know." Seria sighed. "I knew the risks when I made that offer and I was willing to take them."

"Well I wasn't!" Luke yelled; surprising the daughter of Hades.

A heavy silence befell them as Luke tried to regain his composure. "Look, I'm sorry," he mumbled, his blue eyes locked onto Seria's dark gray. "But you're already in a tight spot just by being a child of Hades. On one side, you have the Gods of Olympus keeping an eye on you-watching out for anything that would give them a reason to kill you on the spot. And on the other, you have Kronos, who's just itching to manipulate you into joining his side just so he could use you to take over Olympus."

Seria winced; she didn't know how bad her odds were until Luke had told it to her straight.

Luke sighed, running a hand over his face. "If the camp calls you a traitor, you'd be an open target. The gods would take the chance to kill you, and I doubt your father would save you in those circumstances. While Kronos would use the situation to try to get you to resent the gods and get you to join his cause," Luke looked at Seria with a mixed look of pity and worry. "That's why I couldn't take that risk, why I couldn't accept your offer. Had things been different, you'd know I would."

"It's okay," Seria mumbled; a huge hole in her chest was growing with every word. "I understand."

"But that's not why I called."

_'What?'_ Seria's head snapped back up to look at Luke.

"Kronos is getting restless," Luke explained. "He's focusing his attention on finding the "_Bane of Olympus"_ in order to gain power to crush Olympus. At the same time, he's working on trying to convince either you or Thalia to join his side."

Panic filled Seria's thoughts; she had to find this _"Bane of Olympus"_, whatever it may be, and keep it away from Kronos in any way possible. At the same time, she and others _had_ to save Artemis. Without her, there would be no preparations to fight Kronos and his army.

"Where is the General keeping Lady Artemis?"

"What?" Luke looked shocked. "Seria, don't you understand why I'm telling you this?"

"You're warning me, right?" Seria cocked an eyebrow. "You're keeping me up to date on what Kronos is planning so I could avoid any problems in finding Lady Artemis."

"No," Luke groaned, his palm smacking against his forehead in exasperation. "I'm warning you because you_ have_ to turn away."

"What?" Seria looked at Luke in confusion.

"I want you to abandon this quest," Luke said. "It's getting too dangerous for you. You have to turn back."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. First Apollo, now Luke? Why is it that they both couldn't just have faith in her abilities? That she could rescue Artemis and find the Bane of Olympus, putting a stop to whatever Kronos had planned. Their doubt just made her even angrier, more desperate to prove them wrong.

"No," Seria growled.

Luke blinked, shocked at Seria's refusal. "Excuse me?"

"I _refuse_ to abandon this quest," Seria repeated. "I appreciate what you trying to protect me, but asking me to abandon what I have to do is impossible."

Luke sighed in exasperation, "Seria-"

"No!" The daughter of Hades' eyes flared dangerously. "I'm not some damsel in distress like the first time we met, Luke. I can take care of myself! I will _not_ abandon this quest! I _won't_ abandon my friends or Lady Artemis and there's nothing you can do or say to change my mind!"

Her yell echoed in the desolate desert before falling into a stiff silence. Seria glared at Luke, feeling so much anger than she thought she would ever feel against the man. She really appreciated how he tries to protect her, but this was going too far. She's heard it twice now. And she was annoyed by it.

"She's in California."

Seria looked at the projection in confusion. "What?"

The son of Hermes sighed, repeating what he said. "Artemis. The General has her imprisoned somewhere in California." Luke looked at Seria, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry for pissing you off. I just-...I get worried."

Seria nodded, understanding Luke completely. "It's okay, Luke. I forgive you, and thank you. You've been a great help so far."

With a nod, Luke's face faded away with the projection and the pocket watch snapped shut, leaving Seria to her thoughts.

The fact Luke had warned her already gave her a clue as to what might happen if she goes to California to find Artemis. A trap, no doubt, would be waiting for her. Luke wasn't kidding when he said things were getting more dangerous.

* * *

**A/N: **Ooooh! Development! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please leave a review and give me some feedback; even some criticism is greatly appreciated. Just type up what you have to say and send it as a review. I really appreciate any given feedback and I actually read through all of them. See you in the next chapter! :)


	27. Mother-Daughter Bonding Time

**Disclaimer: **I do _not_ own the Percy Jackson series nor any of its characters. They rightfully belong to Rick Riordan, the author of the book series. I only own the OCs present in the story. Oh, and the Greek gods belong to the Ancient Greeks. :)

* * *

You wouldn't believe how _relieved _Cleo was to finally get out of the car/sun chariot. Hours and hours of driving and being forced to sit still was pretty much Cleo's brand of torture. Pretty much everyone in the vehicle wouldn't stop fidgeting! It was driving her insane! Even though Seria explained that their ADHD was actually their demigod battle instincts going haywire, it still annoyed Cleo without end to just _sit still_.

She let out a relieved groan as she stepped out of the passenger's seat, stretching out her muscles. Her legs were sore from being forced to stay in the same position for hours on end; she was relieved to give them so room to move. Looking around, she noticed that the only spot of shade in the barren desert was a large group of boulders that slightly resembled Zeus' Fist back at camp. Cleo grimaced at the memory of their Capture the Flag match against the Hunters. Percy really didn't take the loss very well that night.

"Hey Cleo," Freya called. "You wanna eat some of the chips we scored from that gas station a few miles back?"

An hour or so ago, Seria had made a pit stop at a nearby gas station; not to fill the gas of the sun chariot of course, it was a godly item - it didn't need gas. They stopped by for a little break and to collect some extra supplies, like water and some food. She and Freya were in charge of retrieving those from the mini-market that you'd always find in a gas station during road trips; this left Seria as the one to watch the car. When Cleo had noticed that the cashier was _male_, she couldn't help but use her useful Charm Speak ability to get free stuff. Though, Seria scolded them when she found out, at least they had some food and water.

Cleo shook her head. "Nah, you go ahead. I'm gonna take a nap." Just when she took a few steps toward the shade, she remembered Freya's history with pranking Apollo via sun chariot. She turned around and gave Freya a hard look. "_Don't_ do _anything_ to the sun chariot, okay? Apollo's letting us _borrow_ it. So it better be in the same condition it is now when I wake up. Got it, Blake?" Her eyes flashed red, just for a warning.

"Scout's honor," said Freya, placing her right hand on her chest and raising the left one up.

Cleo was unamused. "You were never a girl scout, Freya."

"I promise not to do anything to Apollo's _"precious"_ chariot. Geez," Freya rolled her eyes in mock frustration, "can't a girl joke around a bit? Now go take your beauty nap, _princess_, before I change my mind."

Satisfied with Freya's answer, Cleo went and did just that. Sure, sleeping on the rocky ground under the shade of a boulder isn't really _"first class"_, but it was better than sleeping on cold, wet grass in a snowy park. Cleo knew that first-hand. Using her trusty knapsack as a makeshift pillow, Cleo laid herself out on the ground, propping her head onto the slightly bulky bag. She was asleep in a heartbeat.

* * *

As soon as her eyes shut, Cleo found herself sitting on a plush cafe chair in front of a nice, cute little table. She was outside of a cafe; all around her were people, chattering in a language she knew far too well: French. Looking to her left, Cleo saw the Eifel Tower standing proud and beautiful like it always has since it was built. She remembered this. This was a memory of the day her father took her to Paris two years ago; before she found out she was a demigod, before she became a part of Camp Half-Blood - when things were normal.

Sure enough, sitting right across from her was her father. Jameson Morrison, the CEO of a modeling agency. Her father was indeed handsome (All of the girls in Aphrodite Cabin keep reminding her this.); he had perfectly gelled dirty-blonde hair, a slight tan, and a pair of the bluest eyes that you will ever see - she inherited his eye color, so she should know. Just like she remembered, he was wearing a blue button-down shirt that was slightly unbuttoned at the top due to the heat, black trousers, and a pair of black Kenneth Cole loafers.

This was her favorite memory. Why? These were one of the few moments in her life that her father actually forgot about his business and focused on her, and her alone. No business calls to bother them. Just some perfect father-daughter bonding time in the City of Lights.

"Enjoying the sights, Cleo?" He asked, a smile on his face. Usually he never smiled. It was always the same poker face plastered on every day. Moments when her father smiled were moments that Cleo treasured.

"Yeah," Cleo nodded, gazing back at the Eifel Tower. "I'm really glad that you decided to take me to Paris, dad. I'm glad you remembered how much I love this city."

The man chuckled, looking up at Paris' landmark as well. "I like this city too. It has... good memories." A wistful look appeared on her father's face as he remembered an old memory. "This was where I met your mother."

Cleo frowned. Oh yeah, she forgot. Her dad had met Aphrodite, her mother, here. Paris, the City of Lights and the City of Love; how could she forget

She remembered what happens next.

A loud ring came from her father's pocket. Almost immediately, Jameson took his cell phone out, took one look to see who was calling him, and almost instantly, that smile was gone. "I'm sorry, Cleo," he sent an apologetic look her way. "I have to answer this. Wait right here, okay princess?"

_'Don't call me that,'_ Cleo thought bitterly. _'If I was your princess you wouldn't have took that call. You were supposed to spend time with __**me**__ for once.'_

But since this was a memory, all Cleo could do was watch as her father got up from his chair and walked off, chattering into his phone with that serious business-look on his face as usual. What started off as a perfect day instantly crumbled down. The one day Cleo had thought she had her father all to herself, gone. It made her so angry. Yet instead of speaking out, she just sat quietly in her chair and nodded; acting like the perfect daughter that he expected her to be.

Cleo knew what would happen next. Her father would come back to the table, spouting apologies left and right and empty promises as he explains that they had to leave Paris and return home because of a problem at the agency. She'd be heartbroken, she'd protest, only to be silenced by a hard look. Then they'd leave and their vacation to Paris would end just as quickly as it had started. But yet, it didn't happen.

She looked around in confusion. All around her, things had come to a sudden stop. Café patrons froze midway in whatever they were doing; cars and vehicles on the road came to a silent stop. Even the birds had frozen midflight. The bustling city had become silent and still, save for Cleo.

"What's going on?" Cleo asked out-loud, knowing very well that there wouldn't be anyone to answer her. "What's happening?"

"Sorry, sweetheart. Had to freeze things for a moment."

A bright light flashed in front of Cleo before slowly fading away, leaving a person sitting where her father had sat. It was a woman, a very beautiful woman. That time of woman that Cleo usually sees walking down runways in fashion shows or acting on the big screen. The woman before her had perfect fair skin and was wearing just enough make-up to make her beauty show; not too much, not too light, but just right. She was wearing a red summer dress with matching heels that brought out the color of her eyes.

But that was the odd thing.

When Cleo stared at the woman, she found it hard to truly focus on her. No matter how much she squinted, it'd be like a blurred picture. One second she's staring at a woman who looked just like her, lustrous blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Then the next, she has auburn hair and stormy gray eyes. It was like the woman's appearance was constantly changing but still retained her beauty.

That's when Cleo realized who the woman was.

"You're-... You're Aphrodite," Cleo hesitated as she said the goddess' name, "Aren't you? You're my mother."

The woman chuckled, her kaleidoscope eyes changing by each passing second. It was like how Cleo's eyes colored changes, only hers reflect the emotion that she feels - like a mood ring. "Yes, Cleo. I am Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty, your mother." She smiled at Cleo. "It's so nice to finally see you in person. You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you. You were just the most adorable baby."

Cleo frowned. "So you haven't seen me since I was a baby? That's how fast you left dad?"

Aphrodite's smile disappeared. "Cleo, please understand. I couldn't stay very long, even though I really wanted to. I still had to answer to my duties."

"What _"duties"_?!" Cleo slammed her hands down on the table with frustration. "You're the Goddess of Love! What sort of duties do you even have?"

A wry smile stretched across the goddess' face. "You'd be surprised. But that's not what I came here to talk about."

"Oh? What is it?" Cleo scowled, crossing her arms in front of her. "And why did you have to wait 'til I was asleep to talk to me? You know we could've done this face-to-face."

"But we are talking face-to-face," Aphrodite pointed out.

"I meant when I'm _awake_."

"Well," the goddess tapped her fingers across the table. "Being a goddess is a lot of work, Cleo. And I don't think it's a good idea for me to just show up unannounced every time I just want to talk. It can cause a lot of chaos and it's time consuming. This way is a lot faster, trust me."

Cleo huffed. "Fine, then why are you here? What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well first," a smile that made Cleo shiver appeared on the goddess' face. "I wanted to talk about you and a certain _Percy Jackson." _Aphrodite squealed like a One Direction fan at a concert. "I swear, you two would make the _cutest_ couple! You'd probably be one of my greatest match-ups yet!"

"Excuse me?" Cleo's face burned with embarrassment, her eyes switching to a slight pink-ish color. "What do you mean by _"greatest match-ups yet"_?"

Aphrodite giggled. "Cleo, I'm the goddess of _love_. Almost every romance in the world has had a little touch by _moi,_" she said the French word with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Wait," Cleo narrowed her eyes at Aphrodite. "Are you saying that the whole crush on Percy Jackson was _your_ doing?"

"Gods no, that'd be giving me too much credit," Aphrodite batted her hand at Cleo, laughing at her question. "The infatuation was entirely you. I only provided some openings for you and Percy to talk and get to know each other. Like the time he _"misplaced"_," she formed air quotations, "his sword? That was me."

Cleo stared at Aphrodite in shock. A part of her felt grateful that her mother was giving her chances to talk to Percy, but another felt really annoyed with what she was doing. Aphrodite was treating her love life like it was one of those cliché match-making shows. Cleo appreciated what her mother was trying to do, but she could handle her love life on her own _without_ any godly help. Cleo felt like she was a mere plaything to her mother!

"I never asked for your help," Cleo hissed; her eyes turning a dark crimson. "I can talk to Percy _on my own_. You don't have to give me any _"chances"_ or _"openings"_. You may be the Goddess of Love, but that _doesn't_ give you the right to mess with _my_ love life!"

Aphrodite was silenced. Cleo almost thought Aphrodite would incinerate her on the spot, but the goddess didn't. Instead, she just slyly smiled at her daughter, her eyes twinkling knowingly. "You say you don't need my help in your love life. But judging by your current situation with Percy, I think you do."

Cleo grimaced. She almost forgot that she and Percy weren't exactly on speaking terms anymore.

"Cleo," Aphrodite reached over the table and pushed Cleo's head up, so that she'd be looking Aphrodite in the eye. "I know you're jealous of how Annabeth-"

"I am not jealous of that know-it-all!" Cleo fumed, cutting off Aphrodite mid-sentence. The goddess of love glared at her and immediately, Cleo slinked down her seat. "Sorry. Continue."

"As I was saying," the goddess began again, "I know you're jealous of how close Annabeth is to Percy. Though you refuse to admit it, but it's true. And you must know jealousy and envy is a common fatal flaw amongst my children. So you're not alone when it comes to feeling jealous or envious of somebody. You're siblings go through it too, even at the most unnecessary of times."

"You can say that again," Cleo muttered; she remembered a fight between one of the Aphrodite kids and a child of Demeter. They'd been fighting over who had the better weapon during sword-fighting class. If it weren't for Chiron's intervention, the two girls would've killed each other.

Aphrodite chuckled, as if remembering the whole ordeal herself. "Yes, but you also must know that neither of those two will solve anything. Showing your envy to Percy won't make him like you more. Instead, it would do the exact opposite. I'm sure you're aware of that now."

Wincing, Cleo reluctantly nodded her head. She remembered the fight in front of the Big House just a day before the Capture the Flag match against the Hunters. It didn't end well.

"So, here's what you should do," Aphrodite folded her hands on top of the table. "Just be yourself. That's what got his attention in the first place. You are a child of Aphrodite who's spunky and doesn't mind getting her hands dirty every now and then. You," Aphrodite jabbed Cleo's shoulder playfully," stuck out amongst the rest. That's what got him interested and sure enough, that's how you'll get 'im. Just apologize first, okay? Then you can flirt to your heart's content."

Cleo's face burned a bright shade of red. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"Sadly, no," Aphrodite admitted. Instantly, her smile faded and was replaced by such a serious expression, it made Cleo dread what the goddess would say next. "I also came here to _warn_ you."

"Warn me?" Cleo frowned, a cold chill going down her spine. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like what she'll hear.

Aphrodite nodded, her grim expression just setting all of the panic alarms off in her head. "I can't tell you much since it would count as direct interference. But I _can_ tell you to be wary of one of your companions."

"My companions?" Freya frowned. "Are you talking about Freya and Seria? They're my friends, I trust them. Why should I be cautious around them?"

Aphrodite sighed, looking at Cleo with pity. "One of them, I'm not sure who, is giving out information to one of your enemies. Whether they are doing it willingly or not, I'm not sure. But you have to be careful, Cleo."

It was like being punched in the gut. A cold feeling just washed over her. One of her friends, Freya or Seria, is a traitor. Someone was leaking information to the General, or whatever the guy's name is. Cleo was shocked. She couldn't wrap her head around believing it to be true.

"Who is it?" She croaked. The question left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Who's the mole?"

Aphrodite shook her head. "You must find out for yourself." The goddess stood up from her seat and smiled down at Cleo. "Now, I have to get going. I have another "_meeting"_ with a little someone soon. We'll talk another time, Cleo."

"Wait!" Cleo jolted up from her seat and grabbed Aphrodite's arm. The goddess looked at her with confusion, but showed that Cleo had her attention. "H-how...how did you fall in love with dad?" Cleo tightened her hold on the goddess' arm. "Why did you fall in love with him?"

Aphrodite was surprised at such a question, but she smiled warmly at Cleo. "I met your father when he was still beginning his model agency. He attended a party in Paris, France and..."The goddess smiled, clearly remembering their meeting as clear as day. "And we met there. He was very handsome, so he caught my eye almost instantly. But it wasn't looks alone that reeled me in, sweetie. He was funny, smart, and the most charming man I had met during my stay in Paris."

Cleo felt herself smile. What Silena had hinted on about Aphrodite falling for her dad because of looks and money alone wasn't true. She was relieved and happy that Aphrodite admitted to have truly fallen in love with her dad for just being himself.

The goddess brushed a strand of hair from Cleo's face, a warm, almost motherly smile arched on her features. "I fell in love with your father for being himself. He was handsome on the inside and out. Sure, I have my moments where I just fall for a man for looking good. But not all the time." Aphrodite smiled at Cleo, "I'm so proud of you, Cleo. Good luck."

Cleo shut her eyes as Aphrodite disappeared in a bright flash of light. Eventually, the memory around her faded away into darkness.

* * *

Cleo opened her eyes; she was back to where she originally was. Sitting up, Cleo rubbed her eyes, peering up at the sky. The sun was already beginning to set over the horizon.

_'How long was I out?'_ Looking around, Cleo noticed that Freya was sitting in the sun chariot, looking very bored. The only one missing now was their self-appointed leader, Seria. _'Whelp, better go find her. We won't be going anywhere without our driver. Well, Freya could drive but...' _Cleo recalled the day when Freya attempted to hijack Apollo's chariot. It didn't go so well since the daughter of Hecate found herself unable to control the vehicle and even with Apollo's help, crashed it into the camp's lake. _'Yeah, bad idea.'_

It didn't take long to find Seria. The pale girl was very easy to spot due to her dark colored clothing. Cleo found Seria standing practically in the middle of nowhere with her arms crossed as she peered up at the sky.

"Hey Seri-" Cleo immediately silenced herself when she got closer to Seria; realizing that the black-haired demigod wasn't actually alone like she thought.

Right in front of the daughter of Hades was some sort of misty projection of a face. It was almost like an Iris message, but different. The projection was coming from a small little object that Seria was holding, sort of like a demigod version of a communicator. Cleo couldn't see _who_ Seria was conversing with, but she could tell it wasn't anyone she knew. If it was, Seria would've made the call with her and Freya in the vicinity, not alone and away from them.

Cleo immediately ducked behind the nearest object to hide behind, which happened to be a dead, barren tree. She strained to hear Seria and the stranger's conversation but was only able to get a few words out of it: Lady Artemis, The General, and California.

A sick feeling grew in the pit of her stomach as she recalled what her mother, Aphrodite, had disclosed to her. "_One of them was giving out information to one of your enemies,_" Aphrodite had warned her. Now here she was, looking at Seria, who was clearly conversing with someone outside of Camp Half-Blood; a stranger to her, Freya, and probably everyone else at camp.

Behind her, she heard Seria close the connection and walk by her. Luckily, she didn't notice Cleo behind the tree and continued on towards the car-shaped sun chariot.

Sliding down to the ground, Cleo tried to calm her nerves; trying to wrap her head around what she had just witnessed. Her mother had warned her that one of her companions was a traitor, willingly or not, and she had just walked in on Seria conversing with a mysterious person through a different way of communication. Taking a shaky breath, Cleo had no choice but to accept it.

_'Seria is the mole, she's the traitor. She's disclosing information to the enemy.'_ Cleo felt sick; placing her head into her hands. What was she going to do?

* * *

**Author's Note: **If you liked this chapter or have any comments and/or critique for me, leave a review. :) I appreciate any feedback that I receive.


	28. We Take Down The Bronze Giant

Hello my lovely readers! I'm sorry for the long hiatus - school's been a pain. You would not _believe_ how much work they gave us in a span of one month! Projects, worksheets, presentations... the list goes on. But somehow I managed to find some extra time to type up this particularly long chapter. I apologize in advance if it seems a little disorganized. My mind wasn't really directly focused, but I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless. :)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS_ NOR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THE SERIES' AUTHOR, _RICK RIORDAN. _I ONLY OWN THE OCS SEEN IN THIS FANFICTION. THANK YOU AND ENJOY! :)**

* * *

After a few more minutes of some much needed rest, Seria and the others set out onto the road once more. The daughter of Hades didn't need to be psychic to realize that there was something wrong with the _"atmosphere"._

Next to her, Cleo was silent throughout most of the ride - a trait that she isn't known for. Instead of chattering and/or complaining like she usually did while they were driving, Cleo just sat as still and stiff as a statue and didn't utter a single word at all. In fact, she was so quiet that Seria almost thought she'd left Cleo behind at the desert clearing a few miles back.

"Hey Cleo," Seria turned to the daughter of Aphrodite. The blonde-haired girl flinched; her eyes were so wide that they resembled that of a deer getting caught in a car's headlights. This reaction only made Seria worry even more. "Are you okay? You... You seem out of it. Did you get any rest at all during that pit stop of ours?"

"Huh? What?" Cleo stared at Seria as if she'd just materialized out of thin air. "Oh! I, um... Yeah, I'm fine. Totally fine. Of course, I got some rest. I'm just... just thinking."

"Right," Seria arched an eyebrow. She didn't believe a single word that Cleo was saying. She'd never heard the daughter of Aphrodite talk in such a rapid-fire way. Clearly, something _was_ wrong.

Cleo didn't meet Seria's gaze but she let out a very heavy sigh. "Seria, _really_, I'm fine." Her usual turquoise-colored eyes were now a dim gray, almost like Annabeth's. "I'm just... thinking about the quest, that's all."

"If you're worried about whether or not we'll be able to save Artemis, just relax!" Freya, who had miniaturized herself again to the size of a pocket eraser in order to fit in the car, called out from Cleo's shirt pocket. "Once we regroup with Percy and the others, we'll definitely find _and_ rescue Artemis and Annabeth. Then, we can kick that General's butt all the way to Tartarus!"

Freya straightened up her posture and began to make odd-little battle cries that closely resembled to a cheesy kung-fu battle cry. Imagine the sound a lot higher, like a chipmunk. If you can, then that's what Freya sounded like. But her silly antics were in vain - Cleo showed no reaction whatsoever. Instead, she just let out another sigh and stared out into the vast desert landscape.

Her shoulders slumping in defeat, Freya disappeared further into Cleo's shirt pocket; most likely deciding that if there was any time to sulk, it'd be now.

With a sigh, Seria resisted the urge to continue questioning the blonde. Hopefully, Cleo's spirits will be higher by the time they reached their destination.

* * *

After a few more minutes, maybe hours, of driving (Seria had officially lost track of time at this point.), the sun chariot emitted a slight beeping sound. Looking down, Seria noticed that the mini image of the car on the screen had _finally_ stopped at the yellow dot. They'd arrived at their destination in-

"Gila Claw, Arizona?" Freya peeked out of her little hideout in Cleo's shirt pocket as she read out the name of the area from an old, rickety sign that'd passed them by. "This is the place? We're in the middle of _nowhere!_ Well, we already were in the middle of nowhere while we were driving but still-... Oh, you know what I mean!"

Biting back a smile, Seria noticed a small light further down the road. Hope sparked into her mind as she drove Apollo's sun chariot towards the light. The daughter of Hades almost wanted to scream with joy as she pulled the chariot over at an old, seemingly abandoned taqueria - at the same time, it wasn't abandoned. Its lights were on and the young demigod recognized four familiar faces lounging about near the taqueria's entrance.

"Is that-?" Cleo leaned over her seat and squinted her eyes to get a clearer look.

Freya released an undignified, extremely high pitched squeal as she pointed at the taqueria. "TACOS!"

"Can you _stop_ thinking about food for one darn minute?!" Cleo hissed, picking up the miniaturized Freya by the scruff of her shirt's collar. "It's Thalia and the others!"

Chuckling, Seria patted the chariot's steering wheel almost affectionately. "It seems Apollo really meant it when he says that he cares." Unbuckling herself from the driver's seat, Seria had an excited shine in her eye - something that wasn't very common with her. "Let's regroup with the others. Shall we?"

Seria didn't have to say it twice; Cleo pretty much scrambled out of the sun chariot, almost throwing Mini Freya over her shoulder like a rag doll. Thankfully Freya decided to revert back to her normal size by the time Cleo got out of the car, though she almost toppled Cleo over in the process. (_Hey! Whoever said magic was easy?_)

"Guys!" Freya flailed her arms; desperately trying to catch the attention of Thalia and/or Grover, who were the only ones outside of the taqueria.

Thanks to Freya's noise, Thalia glanced over her shoulder and almost dropped her Coke can in shock. It took her a few minutes, but Thalia regained her composure and immediately walked over to meet with Seria, Cleo and Freya. Never had Seria been so happy to see the daughter of Zeus again. But as Thalia approached, Seria noticed a familiar angry spark in Thalia's electric blue eyes. Suddenly Seria didn't seem so keen on speaking with her anymore.

"Where on earth have you guys _been_?!" The trio flinched at the sheer volume of Thalia's voice. "You three pretty much vanished into thin air after we got out of the Smithsonian! We thought something had happened to you guys."

"Nice to know that you had worried about our well-being, Grace," Seria chuckled. The scary look Thalia threw in her direction was definitely worth the tease. "But we have a good explanation."

Thalia crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the trio. "Well, we have some time to spare. Make it quick and make it good."

"We ended up getting separated from you guys after more of those skeletal warriors entered the battle. We had no choice - it was either run or be captured. Long story short, we hitched a ride with Calliope, one of Apollo's muses, got dropped off at some park a few miles away from the Smithsonian and received a _"warning"_ from Apollo." Seria explained.

It was now when Zoë and Bianca had decided to join them outside. "You received a warning from Lord Apollo?" asked the ancient huntress. "What did he say? Was it related to the whereabouts of Lady Artemis?"

"Yes to the first question and no to the one about Artemis," Freya interjected. "He told Seria to _"Abandon the quest"_ and that we should, _"Turn back and return to camp"_." Freya mockingly mimicked Apollo's voice, making a string of odd, insulting faces to boot.

Seria almost expected Zoё to crack a smile at Freya's antics against Apollo, whom the huntress wasn't exactly on good terms with, but she was shocked when Zoë's expression just turned steely and nodded in agreement.

"Lord Apollo is right," she said; her voice was hard and final, as if she had just stated a common fact. "Thou should return back to camp and leave this quest to us. We already have the Son of Poseidon accompanying us. We do not need any more useless baggage."

Seria scowled; some shadows around the area shifted restlessly. "Excuse me? _"Useless baggage"_?"

"Thou would only get in the way," Zoё stared down at Seria; both sending each other some powerful glares. "Also, The General is in search of a child of the elder gods for him to manipulate. Thalia and Percy are already at risk. We do not need thou to heighten the risks."

"Well suck it up, you old hag," Freya snarled. "The prophecy clearly stated that three others would end up joining you! So whether you like it or not, we're joining you! Or would you like to _"try to fight against Fate"_, hmm?"

Never in her life had Seria seen Zoё Nightshade, _Miss Calm and Collected_, look so angry before. The lieutenant for Artemis' hunters narrowed her eyes, her bow and quiver full of arrows materializing around her. "How dare you speak to me in such a way," she growled. "I should punish you for your insolence."

"Wait!" Thankfully, Bianca managed to grab Zoë's arm before the lieutenant could grab an arrow out of her quiver. "Zoё, Freya's right."

The olive-skinned girl looked at Bianca in shock. At the same time, her eyes demanded that Bianca should explain.

Zoë's expression didn't even frighten or intimidate Bianca. Instead, the younger girl continued on speaking, not even missing a beat. "The prophecy does state that three others would join us. Percy couldn't be one of them since he joined us when it was supposed to Phoebe who'd accompany us. So, who else would fit the prophecy's verse other than them," Bianca gestured to Seria, Cleo and Freya. "They _have_ to join us."

Zoё stared at Bianca for a good few minutes, trying to take in all that Bianca had just said. Just by looking at her expression alone, anyone could tell Zoё was going over the pros and cons to having Seria and the others join them. Eventually, the huntress sighed and in the blink of an eye, her quiver and bow disappeared from sight.

"Fine," Zoё looked at Seria. "You will all join us in the quest to rescue Lady Artemis."

"Like you had much of a choice," Freya grumbled, only to be elbowed in the stomach by Cleo. "Ow! Rude!"

"Did anything happen to you guys?" Seria asked. "We were able to lead away some of the skeletal warriors, but we didn't get all of them."

"Well, a lot _has_ happened actually," Thalia sighed. "It might take a while to explain."

"Well," Cleo clapped her hands together. "We're all ears, Thalia."

With a nod, Thalia began to tell Seria and the others about what they had faced on their way to Gila Claw, Arizona. She told them about how they had to go from train to train in Washington before reaching Cloudcroft, New Mexico on an odd freight train called _The Sun West Line_ - which was pointed out to them by an oddly friendly homeless man. Hearing this, Freya and Seria almost smiled - knowing very well who the _"homeless man"_ really was. Thalia even told them about how they were ambushed by more skeletal warriors in Cloudcroft before being saved by a giant, wild boar - which they later tamed in order to get from Cloudcroft to Gila Claw. But what caught Seria's interest wasn't the free pig ride, but it was what Thalia had shared about Bianca; how the new Hunter of Artemis had no idea about the subway tunnels and that she thought the past president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

"So you were in the Lotus Hotel and Casino for a long time, weren't you?" Seria looked to Bianca with a mixed look of pity and understanding.

Bianca nodded. Suddenly she looked a lot older than she really was. Seria understood, though. She knew what it was like to suddenly have someone tell you that it's been at least seventy years since you've last seen the world for yourself. The shock can hit you pretty hard.

"Bianca," Seria placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "Listen. I know this is a lot to take in. But you're not alone on this."

The Italian looked up at Seria with questioning eyes, silently asking the older demigod to explain.

With a deep sigh, Seria explained herself to Bianca. "I'm also from the 1940s. It's been seventy or so years since I had last seen the world as well. Only, my situation is a lot more different than yours." Bianca's shocked expression just signaled Seria to continue on. "I'm supposed to be dead, Bianca. I died on a quest against Medusa seventy years ago. Before I came back, my body was nothing more than a statue on the Island of Polyphemus and my spirit rested in Elysium, the resting place of the heroes. It was only out of dumb luck that someone happened to put the Golden Fleece around my statued form and brought me back to life."

"So," Bianca's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she slowly tries to wrap her head around what Seria had told her. "So, you're just like me and Nico then. Only... y-you're supposed to be _dead_? That's... h-how did you react to having someone tell you that?"

Seria shrugged. It didn't show in her expression, but her eyes shone with sadness. "I don't know. I probably reacted the same way you are now. Shock, a bit of disbelief, despair for all I've lost and missed..." The daughter of Hades trailed off with a faraway look on her face. "But I had to get over it and get a grip on myself. Bianca, you have to learn to move on. Whatever happened is now in the past. Just be glad that you know now and not finding out years later."

Bianca bit her lip. "Hey Seria," she mumbled, "I... I'm sorry for..._"abandoning"_ Nico. But..." The Italian girl looked at Seria with a resolute expression on her face. "But you have to understand. I _wanted_ to join the Hunters. I _wanted_ this. For once, I wanted to make my own decisions. I wanted to know what having a family is like."

Seria cocked an eyebrow. "And Nico isn't family to you?" she asked with a slight edge.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Bianca sighed. "Look, I've always taken care of Nico ever since our mom died to the point we got out of that... Lotus Hotel and Casino place. Just for once I wanted to know what being free is like - to not have any responsibilities to worry about."

The elder demigod's lips turned downwards to a frown. Bianca's reasons weren't as just as the other thought they were. "Freedom doesn't mean having no responsibilities. That is close to anarchy. Real freedom is having the decision to do what is right and what is wrong on your own accord," her dark gray eyes pierced right into Bianca's own. "Do _you_ think leaving Nico for the Hunters of Artemis was the right choice?"

Bianca didn't answer. Instead, the young demigod huntress just kept her eyes glued to the floor.

"I thought so." Seria sighed before speaking up again, "Bianca, I accept your apology. But I do not approve of your choices."

" 'm sorry," Bianca mumbled.

Seria didn't say anything more, she just gave Bianca one last hard look before turning back towards the group. When she rejoined them, the first thing she noticed was the worried expression that was plastered on Cleo's face. Freya was keeping an arm around the blonde, consoling her to the best of her abilities. "What's wrong?" She looked to Thalia and Grover for answers. "Did something happen?"

"Percy," Cleo looked at Seria with panicked eyes. "I went into the taqueria to see if he was there, but I saw _no one_! He's missing!"

Seria looked to Thalia for an explanation.

"Oh for the love of-! If you'd just calm down and quit with the squirming, I'll tell you where Percy is! Jeez," Thalia ruffled her hair in irritation as she glared down at Cleo. "Why is it that you Aphrodite kids have to be so dang dramatic?"

"Hey!" Cleo yelled in protest.

"Shut up," Thalia grumbled. "Anyway, Percy's in that gaudy white limo over there," she pointed at the limo that was parked a few miles down the road from the taqueria. Standing in front of one of the limo's doors was a big, burly man wearing mostly leather clothes and donned a pair of aviator shades on his face - which seemed odd since it was nightfall. "Ares just showed up in that _thing_, picked up Percy and threw him in there. Apparently he's been _"honored"_ to have an audience with Lady Aphrodite." The daughter of Zeus snorted with disgust. "I really hate that goddess."

For some reason, Cleo's cheeks burned a bright shade of red. It caught Seria's interest as to why Cleo seemed so flustered at the- Oh...

She had an epiphany. Aphrodite may have spoken with Cleo not so long ago before her audience with Percy. Seeing as Aphrodite was the Goddess of Love, it wasn't all that hard to find out what the topic for the conversation might have been.

"What's gotten you so happy?"

Seria snapped out of her reverie, realizing that all eyes were now on her. "Oh, um..." she stammered. But before she could even get a word in, a harsh wind blew around them. In the blink of an eye, the whole group was engulfed in a whirlwind of red dust.

* * *

Someone needed to tell Ares that transporting people via chaotic, red whirlwind of death wasn't such a great idea. The after-effects of the _"ride"_ can be pretty brutal. Like, let's say, a pounding headache and the lingering feeling that everything is somehow still spinning. The whole process of waking up and trying to focus was almost nauseating for Seria. For the first few minutes, the daughter of Hades was almost sure that she'd end up puking her guts out at some point. Thankfully, she didn't. Bless the gods for that.

Slowly rising from the ground, Seria looked around the area. Somehow, the red whirlwind of dust had taken them into what she suspected as a giant junkyard. All around her were towering piles of scrap metal, or at least, what she thought was scrap metal. Taking a closer look, Seria realized that the junk-pile was filled with all sorts of weapons, armor and other metallic gear. From the corner of her eye, Seria spotted what looked like a brand new shield - it was bronze, of course, and had an image of Apollo slaying the python emblazoned on it.

"Now why would anyone want to throw this away?" Seria reached out for the bronze shield and just when she was about to grab it, she was violently torn away from the shield and ended up falling bum-first to the ground. "Hey! What was that-" A hand covered her mouth.

"Don't touch _anything_." It was Thalia. "We're in the junkyard of the gods. If you want to continue breathing, keep your hands off the junk."

Seria pushed Thalia's hand off her mouth and got right back on her feet. She sent a glare at Thalia before noticing that the others were also scattered around the area. Not so far from her and Thalia were Grover, Bianca and Cleo, who were still recovering from their experience with the whirlwind. Freya, Zoë and Percy, who was now with the group, were looking at the junk piles themselves. Zoё was keeping Freya and Percy from grabbing at a few items from various piles.

"So you're saying, everything here was thrown away by the gods?" Seria stared at the shield she was about to grab in disbelief. "If they threw this stuff away, doesn't that mean they don't want it? So why can't we just take it for ourselves?"

Thalia smirked. "Greedy little thing, aren't you?"

With a flustered gasp, Seria slammed her fist against Thalia's arm. "Shut up!"

The daughter of Zeus just laughed before returning back to her usual stoic expression. "If the gods threw this stuff away, that definitely means that there's something wrong with these objects." Thalia stareed at a shining gold vase that had Zeus' face on the front. "It's either these objects are defected or they're cursed. Either way, we _don't_ touch them."

Seria gave one last longing look at the shield before nodding her head, obviously disappointed that she couldn't grab herself some new equipment... maybe even a few souvenirs.

Once everyone had calmed down and were back on their feet again, the group gathered together in the center of the junkyard's clearing. Cleo and Seria still felt like they were going to keel over, but they'd survive. For now, the topic of discussion was Percy and his audience with the Goddess of Love.

"What did she _want_ with you?" asked Bianca. Percy had just finished explaining what had happened between him, Ares, and Aphrodite. He'd given a detailed explanation about what he and Ares were talking about, but he said little-to-nothing about his conversation with Aphrodite.

"Yeah, what _did_ my mother want with you, Percy?" Cleo's cheeks were still pink-ish with suppressed embarrassment. "She doesn't talk to people directly unless it's...uh...i-important."

"Oh, um," Percy's eyes locked onto Cleo's for a split second before he quickly averted his gaze. "I'm not really sure. She just told me to be careful in her husband's junkyard. She also told me not to pick up anything."

Seria squinted a little as she stared down at Percy's face. His cheeks had a pink hue on them and he kept on wiping his hands with his camp T-shirt. Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon was nervous about something. What _did_ Aphrodite say to the boy? Judging by Cleo's frantic questions, obviously the daughter of said goddess had a good idea of what had transpired in that limo.

Zoё narrowed her eyes. "The goddess of love would not make a special trip to tell thee that. Be careful, Percy Jackson. Aphrodite has led many heroes astray."

"For once, I agree with Zoё," said Thalia. "You can't trust Aphrodite, Pers. I wouldn't take anything she says way too seriously."

Percy just nodded his head frantically; a desperate look was plastered on his face as he tried to change the subject away from him. "Y-yeah, of course, of course. So, um," he looked around the junkyard. "How do we get out of this place?"

"That way," Zoё pointed her hand down a certain direction. "That is west."

"Whoa, how can you tell?" Freya asked; her eyes were bright with curiosity...or maybe that was some magic that she was unconsciously using?

Even in the darkness of the junkyard, Seria was able to clearly see Zoё roll her eyes in exasperation through the moon light. "Ursa Major is in the north," she said. "Which means _that_ must be _west_."

The lieutenant of the Hunters pointed west, then at the infamous northern constellation. Seria could clearly see it in the sky (She had a lot of practice with stargazing during her earlier years as a demigod.), but she doubted that anyone else other than Zoё and maybe Thalia, could see it.

"Oh yeah," Percy mused. The sea demigod was squinting his eyes as he tried to find the constellation amongst the multitude of stars in the sky. "The bear thing."

Zoё looked offended. "Show some respect," she hissed. "It was a fine bear. A worthy opponent."

Cleo cocked an eyebrow as she looked at Zoё with disbelief. "You're talking as if it was real."

The huntress narrowed her eyes at Cleo. "Thou thought all of Greek mythology was just a story before thou had found out that thou'st was a demigod. Why would Ursa Major be any different?"

Cleo's face burned with anger, but Freya quickly grabbed the girl's arm and shook her head. Reluctantly, the daughter of Aphrodite backed down from the argument.

"Guys," Grover broke in. "Look!"

Following Grover's gaze, the group had noticed that they'd reached the crest of a junk mountain. The mountain of scrap metal was filled with metallic objects that just shined brightly in the moonlight. It was almost hypnotizing to see.

"Whoa, check this out!" Freya dashed forward to get a closer look of the objects that made up the mountain.

As they got closer, everyone was amazed to see so many different objects just thrown away into the colossal pile. Seria had spotted various Greek items, ranging from some broken heads of bronze horses, metal human legs, smashed chariots and tons of other stuff, like weapons, shields, and various pieces of Greek armor. Further on the pile were more modern items like golden cars (Seria had a feeling those were Apollo's.), refrigerators, washing machines and even some of those computer monitors that she'd seen in magazines and advertisements.

"Wow," Bianca stared at the objects in awe. "Some of them look like real gold."

"That's because they are," Thalia looked at everything with a grim expression. "Like Percy said, _don't_ touch _anything._ Remember, we're in the junkyard of the gods."

"Junk?" Grover picked up a beautiful crown made out of gold, silver and jewels. The crown was broken on one side, but it didn't stop Grover from taking a bite out of it. "It's delicious!"

Thalia swatted the crown out of his hands. "I'm serious." But no matter how many times Thalia and Zoё told everyone not to touch anything, everyone still scattered around the huge mountain of junk and began picking things up and admiring them up close. Seria managed to get her hands on a black vase that had an image of the Underworld painted on the front; she had a feeling the vase was made out of Stygian Iron since it seemed to tingle with power in Seria's hands. Cleo had found a bronze box filled with the most beautiful pieces of jewelry she had ever seen - it took forever to get her to leave the box behind.

"Look!" Bianca yelled. She raced down the hill, haphazardly maneuvering her way around the pieces of metal that got in her way, tripping once in a while. She picked up a bow that glowed silver in the moonlight. Just from the look on Bianca's face, Seria could tell how much the girl wanted it. "A Hunter's bow!"

She yelped in surprise as the bow began to shrink, eventually turning into a hair clip that sat innocently on the palm of her hand. "It's just like Percy's sword!"

Zoë's face was grim. "Leave it, Bianca."

"But-"

"It is here for a reason. Anything thrown into this junkyard must stay here. That bow might've been defective, maybe even cursed!"

Bianca reluctantly set the hair clip down.

"I really don't like this place," Thalia said as she tightened her grip around the shaft of her spear.

"What? You think we'll get attacked by killer refrigerators?" Freya chuckled; she was fiddling with a silver wristband that had a large red stone in the middle.

The daughter of Zeus gave Freya a hard look as she snatched the wristband from her, ignoring the red-head's protests. "You think this is a joke?" She threw the wristband over her shoulder and into one of the other junk piles. "Zoë's right. Things get thrown away for a reason. Now let's get out of this junkyard."

Seria crossed her arms and clicked her tongue in slight irritation as she walked by Thalia. "That's the second time you've agreed with Zoё," she teased. Thalia ignored her and continued on her way.

So, they continued picking their way through hills and valleys of junk. There were just so many objects thrown away here that Seria began to think that the junkyard had no end. She had to give Ursa Major some props for guiding them in the right way, or else they'd been lost in the gods' junkyard for the rest of their lives.

As they continued walking, Seria noticed through the corner of her eye that Percy was slowing down his pace bit by bit; sometimes even looking around like he didn't want anyone to notice what he was doing. _'Now what is he up to?'_

Seria began to slow down as well, so she could keep an eye on Percy. To her surprise, the son of Poseidon eventually stops backing up, positioning himself right next to none other than Cleo Morrison. Now her curiosity was piqued. Even though she was definitely against the act, Seria gets as close as she possibly could to the two and began to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Hey, um... Cleo? Mind if I... talk to you?" Percy's voice was shaky, even his hands were trembling a little at the sides of his body.

Cleo was surprised to see Percy talk to her. From their last encounter, she was sure that they'd never speak to each other again. "Oh um... s-sure, I guess. What do you want to talk about? Is it about the quest?"

Percy shook his head. The boy was even more nervous than he was before, if that was even possible at this point. "I actually... want to apologize."

Now this caught _both_ Cleo _and_ Seria off-guard.

"Apologize?" Cleo gawked at the son of the sea god. "Apologize for what? You didn't do anything wrong. If anyone has to apologize it's me."

Now it was Percy's turn to be shocked. If this wasn't such a serious situation, Seria would have laughed at the brunete's expression. He looked like a little kid getting caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. Seria wonders if children still even do that nowadays.

"I...I said some pretty mean things on the day you came back from Westover Hall," Cleo admitted. Her eyes were practically glued to the ground as she continued walking, apologizing to Percy as she goes. "You were already so upset and I just made it worse by talking bad about Annabeth when you were at your most vulnerable state. I... I acted like a bitch and you had every reason to lose your temper on me that day...even if your temper had set the sprinklers off."

The guilt on Cleo's face just seemed to grow, as did the sincerity in her voice. "And when I'd tried to apologize to you on the night after the Capture the Flag match and that council meeting, I'd lost my temper when you'd _accidentally_ splashed me with that wave of yours."

"It _was_ an accident," Percy insisted. "I really didn't mean to hit you with that wave."

For a second, Cleo had a doubtful look on her face, but it quickly passed. "Alright, if you say so. But...I do want to apologize for going off on you when it happened. I overreacted. I acted like a spoiled little brat. I ended up acting like those other mean Aphrodite girls in my cabin. And," she sighed as she turns to face Percy. "I'm so, so sorry, Percy." She smiled weakly. "Will you please forgive me? If you don't...I understand."

Percy was silent for a few minutes; no doubt, slowly trying to take this all in. Finally, he looked at Cleo and gave her a warm smile. "I accept your apology. And Cleo, _I'm_ sorry for ignoring you these past few days. It was a stupid thing to do." He held out his hand to Cleo. "Think we can still be friends?"

Cleo's mouth twitched at Percy's choice of words, but she grabbed his hand and held it firm in her grip. "Yeah... Friends."

A small smile stretched across her face. Seria was happy that the two were able to let bygones be bygones. Never has she been so proud of Cleo until now.

"Aww, how cute."

The daughter of Hades nearly jumped right out of her skin. Quickly turning around, Seria found herself face-to-face with a smirking Freya. She swallowed nervously. She'd been caught eavesdropping. How embarrassing.

"Seria! Eavesdropping on our friends? Tsk, tsk, tsk." The red-head sorceress in training shook her head like how a mother would when scolding a child. "It seems the tables have turned, mi amigo," she chuckles.

The smaller demigod just blushed and nervously fiddled with her fingers. "I...I was just curious."

Freya laughed. "Aren't we all? But anyways," the red-head threw her arm around Seria's shoulder - bringing the Asian girl closer to her. "Glad those two _finally_ apologized to each other. No more awkward silences when they're near each other. Thank the gods."

Seria chuckled at Freya's overdramatic attitude. "I agree. I'm happy to see Cleo finally admitting to her mistakes."

"Yeah," Freya mused. "Just a shame that she got friend-zoned though. Ouch... ha-ha."

"Freya!" Seria gasped, slapping the red-head's arm. "That's rude!" But the red-head continued laughing as she and the reluctant Asian demigod continued to gossip quietly between themselves.

* * *

"Are we even close to the exit of this place, yet?" Freya yelled from the back of the group. They'd been walking through the junkyard for quite some time now, using only the Ursa Major constellation as their guide. So far, they have yet to find the exit to the gods' junkyard.

"Patience," Zoё muttered, completely unaffected by Freya's constant flow of complaints. "We just need to continue moving. We will reach the way out in due time."

The sheer size of the junkyard still amazed Seria. For the past half hour, they'd been walking by and through piles and piles of _"junk"_. In all honesty, the whole place seemed never-ending - just a large expanse of magical items that the gods have simply decided to throw out. Each time they had to climb over a hill of objects, they just couldn't help but look through a few things and admire the objects that the gods of Olympus, maybe even the minor gods, used to own. That was probably the reason why they'd still yet to find a way out of the junkyard.

"Wait! Is that the way out?" Cleo pointed to the other side of the junkyard.

Sure enough, just a half a mile away from them was the edge of the junkyard. The lights of the nearby highway were like heaven's lights to them. Seria was pretty sure everyone was eager to return to civilization (somewhat). But as they got closer to the edge, they realized that something was standing between them and their way out.

"What is _that_?" Bianca gasped.

Ahead of them was a hill that was much bigger and longer than all the rest in the junkyard. It was like a metal mesa; about the size of a football field and as long as goalposts. At one end of the mesa was a row of ten thick metal columns, wedged tightly together.

Seria narrowed her eyes as she stared down at the hulking object that stood between them and the exit. "Correct me if I'm wrong but...they look like-"

"Toes," Grover nodded.

Bianca nodded in agreement with the two. "Really, _really_ large toes."

Zoё and Thalia exchanged nervous looks.

"Let's go around," Thalia suggested. "_Far_ around."

"But the road is right over there," Percy protested. "It's quicker to climb over."

_Ping._

A deep, hollow sound echoed through the air. The reaction was almost instantaneous. Thalia hefted her spear, Zoё drew her bow and Seria impulsively formed a fist of shadows using the shadows that were formed from the moonlight. To their relief (and annoyance), the cause of the sound was only Grover, who had thrown a piece of scrap metal at the object.

"Why did you do that?!" Zoё demanded.

Grover cringed. "I don't know. I just don't like false feet... I guess."

Thalia sighed. "Come on," she gave everyone a steely look. "_Around_."

No one bothered to argue. It took a while but Seria had to admit, the giant metal toes were starting to creep her out. She wasn't entirely sure who would build metal toes or _why_ they'd make them in the first place. But she knew that it was better off to be as far away as possible from the bronze feet.

It took a few more minutes of walking, but they'd finally made it to the edge of the junkyard. Seria had never felt so relieved to see a highway before. She was just thankful that nothing bad had happened to them while they were in the junkyard. With all those metal and rusted objects lying around, a fight in there would've been disastrous. When they're feet finally made contact with the black asphalt of the slightly abandoned highway, it was only then did Seria _finally_ allowed herself to relax.

"We finally made it out," Zoё sighed in relief. "Thank the gods."

Their moment of relaxation was short-lived as a loud, horrifying sound came from the junkyard. Turning around, the group watched as a pile of scrap metal seemed to boil and churn as something rose up from the ground. Watching the metallic toes that were blocking the exit, Seria could only gasp as they titled until they were sitting upright. Now standing before them was a towering giant made of bronze, donning Ancient Greek armor. He gleamed wickedly in the moonlight. As he looked down, Seria realized that his face was viciously deformed; one half was partially melted, while the other was completely fine. As the giant moved, a loud, irritating noise echoed throughout the night as he moved his rusty limbs. She also noticed someone had painted _"Wash Me"_ on the giant's chest; if she wasn't so terrified, she'd be laughing.

"_Talos_!" Zoё gasped.

"Who- who's Talos?" Percy stuttered as he gawked at the bronze giant.

"One of Hephaestus' creations," Thalia explained. "But this guy _can't_ be the original. He's too small. He must be a prototype or a defective model."

The metal giant didn't like being called _"defective"_.

A lot faster than a bronze giant should be, Talos moved one hand to his sword belt and drew his weapon. The sound of it coming out from its sheath was _horrible_. It sounded like someone dragging their nails across a black board, only worse. It took a lot of willpower to resist the urge to stop moving and shield your ears from the noise.

With one powerful swing, Talos attacked the group; his hundred-feet sword just narrowly missing everyone by mere inches. Seria could only imagine what it's like to get hit by that sword. Sure, it was dull and rusty and not as sharp as a real sword, but with its size and weight alone, it could kill them in one hit.

"Someone took something," Zoё said. "Who took something?"

"Not me," Freya yelled as she hid behind a silver car.

"Definitely not me," screeched Cleo.

All eyes turned to Percy. "I'm a lot of things, but I am _not_ a thief," he said, raising his arms in mock surrender.

The ground shook violently as Talos took a step towards them. In just one step, Talos was already only one foot away from squishing them like bugs.

"Quick! Everyone, scatter!" Thalia ordered before dashing off in a random direction.

There weren't any questions. Everyone scattered in any direction they could - desperately trying to put some distance between them and Talos. Though with each horrendous step that he took, Talos was always just a few feet away from anybody in the group. The plan seemed pretty useless with an opponent who could outdistance them in just one step.

Cleo scrambled up the tallest pile of scrap-metal that she could find and cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling, "Hey Talos! Look over here you ugly lump of bronze! I can see why Hephaestus threw you in here! You're an ugly piece of scrap!" The daughter of Aphrodite even threw a hammer at the colossal giant for good measure.

Cleo's idea was insane, but it worked. The daughter of Aphrodite now had the full attention of Talos; allowing the others to have a chance to attack.

Seria was the first to strike. With a quick flick of her hand, a large surge of shadows wrapped themselves around Talos' thigh, preventing the bronze giant from moving any closer to Cleo. If Seria had thought holding a manticore was hard, trying imagining holding down a thousand ton bronze giant. "Guys, attack him now! I-I can't hold him for much longer!"

Immediately, the others pounced at the bronze giant, attacking him in any way that they could. Freya appeared atop a pile of scrap metal just behind Talos and began to chuck fireballs straight at him. From her height (and aim), the red-head only managed to melt a section of the bronze man's bicep. Zoё and Thalia perched themselves atop one of the silver and gold cars that were strewn about the area and began firing arrows and blasts of lightning at the defective automaton. But even with all these attacks being used together, little to no damage was done to Talos. In fact, the colossal giant seemed to be angrier.

He proved this by violently swinging his sword around him, barely grazing Thalia, Zoё and Freya. The sheer force of his swing was enough to break Seria's hold on him, sending the daughter of Hades flying backwards and skidding to a stop right next to Percy and Bianca, who were hiding behind a broken chariot.

Talos' sword made contact with the pile that Cleo was standing on, sending it crumbling to the ground with Cleo still caught in it. With a scream, the daughter of Aphrodite fell down the side of the junk pile and towards the ground.

"Cleo!" Freya quickly threw her hands forward and focused, imagining an invisible ball around her friend that would protect her from the blow of the fall. When she opened her eyes, they flashed with power and instantly, a force field formed around the blonde girl - lightening the impact of her fall.

Near the broken chariot, Percy and Bianca just watched helplessly as Talos teared through every junk pile in the junkyard as he tried to hit Zoё and Thalia, who were weaving around the bronze giant to confuse him.

"You took something," Percy said as he glared at Bianca. "That bow."

"No!" Bianca's voice was quivering.

"Give it back!" Percy yelled, almost grabbing Bianca by the shoulders. "Throw it down!"

"I didn't take the bow," Bianca said. "Besides, it's too late!"

Percy frowned. "Then what did you take?"

The noise was loud enough to stir Seria back to her senses. With a groan, the black-haired demigod slowly sat up; the pounding in her head was growing with each move that she made. "What's going on?" she turned to look at Percy and Bianca.

But before they could even answer her, a large shadow appeared over them - blotting out the sky. Percy looked up and immediately grabbed Bianca and Seria by the arms and scrambled down the hill. "Move!"

Right where they'd been hiding, Talos' giant foot came crashing down - destroying the chariot the three had been hiding behind. The only thing that was left in its wake was a large crater, formed by Talos' devastating foot stomp.

Seria kept running until they were far enough from Talos to be considered _"safe",_ for now. The daughter of Hades watched as Grover got the automaton's attention and began to play a song on his reed pipes. Over on the highway, some downed power lines seemed to dance in the air - slowly making their way toward the colossal bronze giant. She understood what Grover was trying to do and in the blink of an eye, a power line that was still connected to a pole latched itself onto Talos' leg, sending arcs of electricity through the metal giant.

Talos creaked and sparked as his limbs began to whirl around and move completely of their own accord. Grover had managed to buy them some time to figure things out.

Next to her, Bianca took out a small object from her pocket, a statue of a god. "It... It was for Nico," she explained. A look of guilt washed over her face. "It was the only statue that he didn't have."

"You took a _Mythomagic_ statue?!" Seria yelled in exasperation. "Of all the things you've done, this has got to be the worst! I understand that you want to make amends with your brother but don't you see what you've done?!" She gestured to the giant automaton, Talos, who was currently fighting to get control of his limbs again. "You've put the whole group in danger, Bianca!"

The young Italian demigod had tears in her eyes as she clutched the small statue tightly in her grasp.

"Seria, that's enough," Percy said. "Bianca, throw it down. Maybe the giant will leave us alone."

Reluctantly, Bianca dropped the statue onto the ground.

But nothing happened.

From afar, Talos attacked Grover, driving his sword down against the junk pile that the satyr was standing on. The giant missed him by a few inches, but the force was enough to send an avalanche of scrap metal down onto Grover, covering him until he could no longer be seen at all.

"No, Grover!" Thalia yelled. She pointed the tip of her spear at Talos and sent an arc of electricity to the towering man. At the same time, Freya aided Thalia by sending a torrent of fire at the metal man, slowly melting pieces of his armor and body off. With the electricity running through him and the fire melting pieces of his body and armor, Talos fell to the ground, only to slowly rise up. Even with the half-melted face of his, anyone could tell that Talos was ticked off as much as a twenty-story-bronze-man could be.

He raised his foot and immediately brought it back down with crushing force. Seria, Thalia, Percy, Bianca and Freya quickly got out of its way but the shockwave threw most of them off of their feet.

"Crazy idea time," Percy coughed as he attempted to get back up onto his feet.

"Given our current situation, Percy," Seria gasped, drawing her twin swords from their ring form. "Anything is welcome."

"There's a maintenance hatch under the sole of his foot. If I can just get inside, I can find his control...thingy. Maybe a switch or something. I just need to get inside."

"What?!" Seria looked at the son of Poseidon like he'd just grown two heads. "Percy, are you insane?! You can't do that! You'll get killed!"

"I agree," Bianca said. "Percy, you'd need to stand under his foot to get in there. Talos will squish you like a bug!"

But Percy was resolute. "Distract it," he ordered. He looked at Bianca straight in the eyes. "I just need to time it right."

Bianca's jaw tightened. "No, I'll go."

This wasn't what Seria expected to hear from her. "What?" Seria looked at Bianca with a mix of horror and shock. "You can't! You said it yourself that the idea would get Percy killed. Why would it differ with you?"

"It was my fault that Talos attacked us," Bianca said. For the first time ever since she'd met Bianca, the rookie huntress looked brave, serious and resolute in her decision. "It has to be me."

Percy stood in Bianca's way and held her still. "Bianca, you can't! You're still new at this! You'll die!"

"Bianca, _please_," Seria grasped Bianca's hand and squeezed it. "Think of Nico. He _needs_ you, Bianca. Please, don't do this. There has to be another way. _Please_."

Seria didn't know who was more surprised: her, Percy or Bianca? This was the first time Percy and Bianca had seen Seria act like this, and most certainly, this was the first that Seria had begged for anything. Had the circumstances been different, the daughter of Hades would've been embarrassed for what she'd just did, but this time, she was sincere. She was desperate. She had to keep the promise she'd made with Nico to keep his sister safe and bring her back home alive. But Bianca's resolve was unswayable.

The Italian girl pulled herself away from Percy's hold and pushed Seria's hand away from hers. She gave the two a heartbreaking smile. "It's my fault. So it's my responsibility. Here," Bianca picked up the little god statue from the ground and looked to Percy and Seria before placing it into Percy's hand. "If anything happens, give this to Nico. Tell him... tell him I'm sorry."

"Bianca, no!" Percy reached to grab Bianca's arm but the girl slipped right through his fingers. Seria and Percy could only watch helplessly as Bianca dashed towards Talos' left foot.

Thalia and Freya had Talos' attention. Both girls were sending blasts of electricity and fire up at the giant, only to have it leave little damage to its bronze skin. Zoё and Cleo were trying for the more _physical_ approach. The lieutenant of the Hunters fired her arrows as fast as she could and Cleo swung her sword against Talos' bronze skin in a desperate attempt to find a weak point.

Bianca got right next to the giant's left foot and positioned herself on some scrap metal, shifting constantly with Talos' movement.

"Bianca, what are you doing?!" Freya yelled; narrowly dodging another stomp from Talos' right foot.

"Get it to raise its foot!" she called back.

Freya gave Bianca an uneasy look but turned to Thalia and Zoë. "Well?! You heard the lady! Get that dumb hunk of junk to raise his dang foot!"

Zoё nodded her head and shot an arrow toward the monster's face. The silver arrow sailed right up Talos' nostril, causing the metal giant to tense and shake its head in irritation.

Percy and Seria came running toward the giant and swung their swords against Talos' toes. "Hey ugly, down here!" Percy called.

"Hey you! Yeah, you! You waste of space! Look here!" Seria hollered as she dug her swords deep into Talos' celestial bronze skin - digging a slight cut onto his foot.

If Bianca wanted a distraction, then Percy and Seria were going to give her one. But it seemed their plan worked too well as Talos immediately looked down, took one look at them and instantly began to raise his foot. The two demigods took this as their cue to run. They ran as fast as they could before Talos' foot came crashing down into the ground, sending both Seria and Percy flying in different directions. Percy had hit an Olympian-Air Refrigerator, while Seria flew right into Zoё Nightshade - sending the two sprawling onto the ground.

In that moment, Seria had no clue what had happened to Bianca. She could only pray that the girl had made it into the maintenance entrance and was currently finding her way through Talos' mechanisms. By the time Zoё had shoved Seria off of her, the black-haired demigod was able to see Talos just about to attack Grover until he came to a sudden stop.

Talos cocked his head to the side, as if he had suddenly heard some strange music playing in the distance. Next thing you knew, he was dancing the _"Funky Chicken"_... or at least Seria _thought_ it was the Funky Chicken - she was only guessing by the body movements that Talos was currently doing. Then the next thing Talos was doing was punching himself in the face.

Percy cheered. "Go Bianca!"

Zoё froze, looking at the giant metal man in horror. "Bianca is _inside_?!"

Seria grimly nodded her head as she watched Talos continue to beat himself into a stupor. The further this continued, the more Seria felt like something horrible was going to happen at any second. And when you've been a child of Hades for fifteen years, you learn to accept that premonitions, like the one she was feeling, usually end up coming true.

The giant hit himself in the head again, dropping his sword to the ground. Suddenly, a shudder ran down his body and without warning, the bronze giant began to stagger toward the power lines.

"Look out!" Percy yelled.

The horrible feeling in Seria's chest grew larger to the point where she couldn't bear to just stand and do nothing. She quickly pushes her hands forward, bending the nearby shadows to wrap around Talos' legs and arms in one last desperate attempt to hold him down. But just like before, the strength of Talos' movements shattered Seria's hold on him and the giant stepped on the power lines.

When the power line snares around Talos' ankle, a horrible, loud ringing noise fills Seria's head, sending the girl down to her knees. Her eyes widened with horror as she watched blue flickers of electricity shoot up into the giant's body.

Seria knew what this ringing in her head meant. She knew it all too well.

"Bianca!" Seria got back up on her feet and surged forward - her hands outstretched as if to grab the power lines herself and tear them from Talos' ankle. But before she could even take another step forward, two sets of arms wrap around her and hold Seria back. The daughter of Hades was in hysterics. "No! NO! NO! LET ME GO! I NEED TO SAVE HER! SHE'S GOING TO DIE!"

It was Thalia and Freya who were holding Seria down.

The daughter of Hades kicked and screamed so much that her throat felt raw. There was nothing else she could do but watch helplessly as Talos dashes off into the junkyard, slowly falling apart piece by piece.

"Wait!" Zoё ran after the giant. Soon enough, even Thalia and Freya chased after Talos - releasing Seria from their hold. But the group couldn't keep up with the giant. Every time they dashed forward, a piece of the automaton would fall right in front of them - blocking their way. But Seria was frantic. Even if a fallen piece of Talos fell in front of her, the Japanese girl would continue running; adrenalin pumping through her veins.

Finally, much to everyone's horror, the giant collapses from the top down. Seria was the first to arrive at the wreckage and she frantically began to search for Bianca. She flipped over pieces of metal, objects, anything. But she saw no signs of the eldest di Angelo.

Soon enough, the other arrived to the scene and they too, begin to search for Bianca...or at least, Bianca's body. Everyone screamed Bianca's name at the top of their lungs, hoping that they would hear a response other than their own echoes. Cleo had even crawled into various hallow pieces of the automaton, searching for the young demigod. They'd all searched until the sun finally rose in the horizon.

Zoё crumbled to the ground and wept. Percy just stood in the clearing in stunned silence. Thalia released a rage-filled yell as she threw her spear down, impaling her weapon into the giant's smashed face. All around, everyone stopped searching and began to mourn for their loss.

Seria was probably the most devastated one of them all. She came to an eventual stop in her search and stared down at the ground. The ringing in her head had subsided like it always did when the soul finally departs from the world of the living. She felt her eyes burn with tears as she threw down her swords and screamed as loud as she could into the sky. Eventually, fatigue catches up with her. She falls to her knees and stays as still as a statue, as if she would stay in that position for another seventy years.

"We can keep searching," Percy suggests. He tried to sound hopeful, but the doubt in his eyes was obvious for all to see. "It's light now. We'll find her."

"No we won't," Grover sobbed. "It happened just as it was supposed to."

"What do you mean?"

Seria tensed as she braced herself to hear the cold, hard truth as Grover looked up at Percy with tear-filled eyes. "The prophecy. _One shall be lost in the land without rain."_

She can sense the shock and realization slowly sink into Percy. The answer, the reason why Bianca was dead, was painfully obvious. It was staring them in the face all along. She cursed under her breath; she should've realized this the moment they stepped onto the desert landscape.

Seria didn't hold back the tears as she lets out another mournful wail. Bianca di Angelo was gone. She'd failed Nico.

* * *

And the first death of this story is done. If you liked this chapter, feel free to leave a review and share your thoughts on the story so far. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for reading! :)


	29. Mourning Isn't Good for The Heart

**Author's Note:** Hello, dear readers! I am happy to announce that I am most definitely not _dead_! Though it's understandable as to why any of you would think that way. I have been away from for a long while now, but you can all blame school for my absence. Honestly, all these projects, tests, and presentations - I think my school is trying to kill its students slowly via swarms of homework. But no worries, I used most of my free time trying to write this chapter for all of you. It's kind of short, but I hope you like it. See it as the _"Aftermath of Bianca's Demise__"_. ENJOY!

**I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS NOR ANY OF THE SERIES' CHARACTERS! THEY BELONG TO THE SERIES' AUTHOR, RICK RIORDAN. I ONLY OWN THE OCS: SERIA AMAGI, FREYA BLAKE, CLEO MORRISON, AND MANY OTHER OCS!**

* * *

Despite their recent loss, the group had to move on. Time was against them on the quest, the date of the Winter Solstice council meeting was getting closer and they've yet to find a clue on Artemis and Annabeth's whereabouts and w_hat_ the _"Bane of Olympus"_ really is. They couldn't linger on mourning, they had to move forward. But it proved to be a lot more difficult for some to move on; namely, Zoë and Seria.

Not so far from the dump, Thalia had found a tow truck so old, it looked like it belonged in a museum. Thankfully when Thalia started it up, the engine hummed with life and the gas tank was full. Seeing as it was near the dump site, they decided that no one would miss it if they took it. So they did.

Thalia was chosen to drive the rusty, old tow truck, while Zoë and Seria sat up front with her. Percy and the rest sat in the back of the truck.

The silence between Thalia, Seria and Zoë was almost painful. The daughter of Zeus found herself juggling between keeping her eye on the desert road and checking on whether or not her two silent, and still mourning, companions decided to jump out of the truck.

Out of all of them, it was Zoë and Seria who had a hard time to move on from Bianca's passing. Sure, Percy, Grover _and_ Thalia were also grief-stricken, but it was those two who were hit with grief harder than the rest.

"So, uh," Thalia tried to start up some conversation. "B-beautiful day we're having, right?"

Zoë was much too preoccupied with staring aimlessly at her lap to give an answer. Seria, on the other hand, just nodded her head with a hollow look on her face. She gave Thalia an answer, but it was an empty one.

Thalia let out an irritated sigh. "Listen, I understand that you guys blame yourselves on what happened to Bianca, but you have to _move on_. You have to understand that it was _her_ decision to mess with Talos' controls. None of you are to blame, alright?"

She received no answer.

"Bianca wouldn't want either of you two to be like this," said Thalia, her gaze locked on to the desert road. "She'd want you two to _focus_. She'd want you guys to complete the quest, to rescue Artemis and to just move on. Bianca knew what she was doing."

For the first time since Bianca's demise, Zoë spoke. "No, I pushed her to come along on this quest. It _is_ my fault that she is no longer with us." She sounded so pained; Thalia almost couldn't believe it was Zoë who was speaking. "Bianca is-...was a strong demigod. I wanted her to hone her skills, but maybe... maybe it just wasn't the right time."

"I'm also to blame," said Seria, her voice hoarse from all of the crying and yelling she'd did moments ago. Her eyes were puffy, yet she still looked like she could cry at any moment. "I let her go. I could've stopped her from going into Talos. I just," she rubbed at her eyes, "I just wasn't strong enough. It should've been me. If I could've just taken her place, Nico would still have a sister."

Thalia's grip on the steering wheel tightened. She had _enough_ mourning and negativity for one day. She needed to snap the two out of their self pity _now_ or else she'd just lose her mind.

"I've had _enough_ of all this moaning and groaning from you two," Thalia snapped. Zoë and Seria just looked at her in shock. "Yes, losing someone on a quest is horrible. But it happens. The quest was dangerous from the moment that darned oracle spoke it from that withered mouth of hers, and we_ all_ knew that - even Bianca. But that didn't stop her from continuing on."

Thalia locked eyes with Zoë. "She could've told you that she didn't want to go, Zoë. She had every right to refuse on going on the quest with you. But she didn't, did she?" The lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis was silent.

"And Seria," the daughter of Hades almost flinched when Thalia's gaze turned to her. But she was surprised to see Thalia's gaze soften. "Yeah, Nico lost his sister, I know. We all know that. In fact, most of us are probably wracking our brains trying to find out how we're going to break it to him once this is all over. But you..._you_ have to survive more than ever now."

"Why?" Seria asked. "Why on earth should _I_ survive?"

"Because," Thalia returned her gaze back onto the road. "Nico will need you more than ever once he knows."

Once Thalia had said her piece, she left Seria and Zoë to their thoughts. The rest of the drive was silent again, but it wasn't as suffocating as it was a few moments ago.

* * *

Eventually, the tow truck ran out of gas at the edge of a river canyon, which was good since that way only lead up to a dead end. Seria also had to give the old truck some sort of applause; it managed to take them further across the seemingly endless desert area than she originally thought it would. She had to admit, it was a tough little guy and it had done its job well.

Thalia got out of the truck and slammed the door shut. Immediately, one of the tires blew. "Great," Thalia scowled. "What now?"

Looking around at their surroundings, there really wasn't much to see. All Seria saw was miles of desert in every direction. There was the occasional clump of barren mountains here and there, but that was just it. The canyon was the only interesting quality that the desert had to offer, which wasn't much of a shock if Seria had to say. The river wasn't exactly big either - it was at least fifty feet with green water and a few rapids. It basically carved a huge scar out of the desert with rock cliffs that dropped way below the group.

"There's a path," Grover said. "We could get to the river."

Everyone looked around to see what Grover was talking about, finally noticing a tiny ledge that winded down the cliff face. No one was amused with the rocky trail that Grover had in mind for them.

"Grover, that's a goat path," Freya deadpanned.

"So?" The satyr shrugged, obviously not noticing the problem in his idea.

"Not wanting to be rude," Cleo piped up; she was still peering down at the drop down the cliff face. "The last time I checked, not all of us are _goats_...or at least _half_-goats, like you, Underwood."

"We can still make it," said the satyr. "Well... I think, we can."

"Gee, that's reassuring," mumbled Cleo as she kicked a pebble over the edge.

Seria looked down at the rocky path; they can make it down. Sure, it was _extremely_ rocky, but it shouldn't be too hard to navigate their way down to the river. However, should one of them lose their footing, the fall would be particularly-

"No."

Seria's train of thought was broken by Percy. Apparently she wasn't the only one who was caught off guard by his sudden outburst. Everyone was just as surprised as she was (Grover in particular).

"I uh," Percy fidgeted, "I think we should go farther upstream."

Grover looked confused. "But-"

"Come on," Percy insisted. "A walk won't hurt us."

For a second, Seria didn't understand Percy's sudden change of plans, then she switched her gaze over to Thalia, who looked a little pale near the edge of the cliff. _'That's right, I almost forgot. Thalia's scared of heights.'_ Seria almost trembled at the memory of when Thalia had driven Apollo's sun chariot into the camp's lake. She could only imagine the possible risk, and hassle, it would've been to get Thalia to go down Grover's _"goat path"._

So they went with Percy's plan. The walk wasn't that bad - they were given the chance to admire the limited diversity of their surroundings. I mean, it wasn't everyday that you'd get to admire the miles of sand all around you, or the green rapids of the river. The _extreme_ heat of the sun wasn't as bad as you'd think either. (That was a lie; it _is_ just as bad as you'd think it is.) But after walking for about half-a-mile, they found a much easier slope towards the water. On the shore, the group found a canoe rental operation that was closed for the season. Seeing as they'd need some canoes to navigate themselves around the river, Percy placed a stack of drachmas on the counter with a note that said, _"IOU three canoes"_.

"We need to go upstream. The rapids are too swift," said Zoë. If Seria didn't know any better, she would've thought that Zoë had the flu with the way that she sounded. But she wasn't the only one who'd noticed.

"It's alright," Percy said. He looked at the lieutenant of the Hunters with a worried, yet almost understanding expression. "Leave that to me."

Once the canoes were in the water, Seria decided to squeeze into Cleo and Freya's canoe. After what happened in the tow truck, she didn't exactly feel comfortable with sitting next to either Thalia or Zoë. Soon enough, everyone was eventually paired off; Grover and Thalia in one canoe and Percy and Zoë in the other.

As Percy peered over the edge of his canoe, he was met with a group of naiads that grouped together under him. Seria couldn't exactly _hear_ what Percy was saying to them (Children of Hades, sadly, weren't inclined to speak with naiads), but whatever he said, the naiads just giggled like a bunch of love struck schoolgirls. Cleo wasn't such a very happy camper when she noticed. But much to Seria's surprise, the daughter of Aphrodite didn't blow her temper as usual. Instead, she just took a deep breath and looked away - though her cheeks were still red with irritation.

Jealous girl aside, the naiads were more than happy to help Percy get everyone's canoes upstream. The water entities split into different groups, each one pushing their own chosen canoe. In fact, the canoes started so fast that Grover fell into his canoe with his hooves sticking up into the air.

Even though she wanted to escape anymore uncomfortable conversations, it seems Seria couldn't quite escape her elusive enemy of awkward silences - just like the one that fell over Seria and her companions through most of the canoe ride. She didn't know why, but Cleo and Freya just wouldn't speak up like they usually would. It was the same scenario in the tow truck all over again.

Freya was the first to break the heavy silence. "So um, Seria," she looked to the daughter of Hades, "are you...doing okay? Y'know, after what happened at the junk yard, you were all torn up and stuff. I just wanna know if...if you're alright now."

"I'm fine," Seria sighed. "You don't have to worry so much, Freya. I got a much needed wake-up call from Thalia in the tow truck."

"Really? That's good." Freya had a look of relief on her face - probably because she didn't have to try to lighten Seria's mood. But it didn't take long for a frown to arch her lips. "So, how are you going to break it to Nico?" When Seria immediately tensed, Freya was quick to apologize. "I know, I know! Too soon. But, you're going to have to tell him. Seeing as out of everyone on this quest, you're the one who's closest to Nico, next to Bianca. It's only reasonable that you're the one who tells him."

The heavy feeling of dread just manifested itself in Seria's stomach. She almost wanted to puke over the side of the canoe, but if she did that the naiads would definitely knock her overboard. She didn't even want to _think_ about telling Nico about Bianca's death - not after the promise she'd made with him.

"I don't know," she sighed, placing her head into her hands. "I honestly don't know _how_ I'm even going to begin telling him about what happened with Bianca. Even if I planned how I'd tell him, he'd still react the same way - grief-stricken, angry, upset, shocked..." Seria's hands curled into fists with her frustration. "I shouldn't have made that promise."

Cleo cocked an eyebrow. "What promise?"

Seria sighed as she explained to Cleo and Freya about the promise Nico had insisted that she'd make - a promise to keep his sister safe. Once she was done, Cleo and Freya looked just as distressed as she did.

"Well that definitely makes the situation increasingly more difficult," Freya stated. "I just hope that Nico will be able to understand _why_ it happened and that no one's to blame. I don't want him to start pointing fingers at anybody on this quest, especially you."

Seria could only nod her head in agreement. If Nico ended up hating her, she wouldn't know what to do.

After traveling down the river for a few more minutes, the trio lurched forward as their canoe made contact with Grover and Thalia's with a slight _Thunk._ From the front of their little line-up, Percy yelled over to them. "This is as far as the naiads can take us!"

Looking up to what laid ahead of them, Seria could understand why the naiads couldn't take them any further upstream. In front of them, the river was blocked by a colossal dam that was as big as a football stadium.

Freya grinned as she looked up at the towering piece of architecture. "Hoover Dam."

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**A/U: **Short chapter, I know. But I _will_ make it up to you in the next one. If you liked this chapter, please leave me a review or comment to read - even criticism is open. I just want to hear some feedback from you guys on what you think of the story and its characters so far and what are some improvements that I can make (especially in my writing skills). I'd greatly appreciate it. UNTIL NEXT TIME!


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